Railgun
by Saber Knight
Summary: Due to a strange incident, Mikoto and her friends find themselves in a totally different world where Humanity is struggling against extinction by a coalition of alien races known as the 'Covenant'. As they search for a way back to their own world, they are forced to fight for their very own survival. The Battle of Ballast has just begun.
1. A New City

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo**

* * *

**Unknown Location  
Unknown Date  
**

"Ouch..." Mikoto muttered, getting up onto her feet as she rubbed her butt after having landed on it pretty hard. Before she could wonder just what had happened, a certain redhead appeared in front of her, a very upset look on the girl's face.

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko exclaimed, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes at Mikoto. "I warned you about using your power! Why didn't you listen to my warning?"  
"It's not my fault!" Mikoto shot back. "That guy pulled a gun!"  
"That's not an excuse for electrocuting the power plant!"  
"I didn't mean to!"

As the two girls continued bickering, Saten helped Uiharu back up on her feet. "Hey, Uiharu, you okay?" Saten asked her friend, dusting the girl's sleeve off.

Uiharu smiled at the taller girl. "H-hai." She said softly, still a little shaken up by what had happened. Taking a deep breath, setting herself at ease, she looked around where they were at, wanting some light to be shed on their current situation. "What just happened?"

Saten shrugged before picking up her baseball bat, bringing it to rest on her shoulder. "Yeah, weren't we fighting some thugs who stole... something...?" Her voice trailed off as she saw that Mikoto and Kuroko were still too busy arguing to pay any attention to anyone besides themselves. Saten and Uiharu shared a small look between each other, a nervous smile on both of their faces.

"And now look at what's happened! Your actions have probably caused yet _another _blackout!" Kuroko gave off an exasperated sigh, turning her back on Mikoto as her hand went up to her cheek. "Honestly, Onee-sama, I don't like for you to get involved in my work. I know you mean well, but this is just too dangerous and if you were to be hur-"

"Where are we?" Mikoto asked, looking down the alley, ignoring Kuroko.

Uiharu blinked, taking a look at the Level 5 before examining their surroundings more closely. She saw unfamiliar scenery all around them, nothing like the alleys that they had just been in. "Where's the power plant...?" She asked, doing a full 360 as she looked around, but the plant was nowhere to be found. Adding to that, the sky up above was filled with dark clouds, in complete contrast to the clear sky just moments ago. By what light broke through the clouds, they appeared to be in a small alleyway between two buildings, one of which was crumbling around a massive hole in it. The air was warm, much warmer than it should have been. It was also terribly silent, save for the vague, spontaneous bits of...

"Gunfire...?" Mikoto asked as she walked out of the alley, voicing all of their thoughts as she looked down both sides of the street, becoming even more confused when she saw nothing that looked even the least bit familiar. There were abandoned cars everywhere, some parked by the side of the road while there were others that were just sitting in the middle of the street, with a door or more wide open. The buildings looked just as abandoned, with doors still open and items strewn all about inside; inside wasn't the only place, as there were many more items scattered about on the street. Even stranger, the cars didn't look anything like the models in Academy City.

"I don't think... we're in Academy City anymore..."  
"What?" Kuroko asked, dumbfounded.  
Mikoto looked over her shoulder. "Kuroko, just look."

As Saten and Uiharu watched, both as confused as Kuroko, the teleporter walked up to Mikoto's side and looked around, her eyes widening at what she saw. "This can't be..." Kuroko breathed, her eyes darting from side to side. "Just where are we!?"

"No way!" Saten exclaimed, getting a little excited as she rushed out past the two girls, coming to a stop as she took a quick look around. "Uiharu, come over here!" She beckoned, her excitement reaching her voice as Uiharu curiously edged closer, soon joining the three girls at the mouth of the alley, a mixture of confusion and shock forming in her eyes at what she saw. "We're in a totally different city!" Saten exclaimed, a big smile on her face.

"Everything's... abandoned." Uiharu whispered. Why would everything, from items to entire buildings and vehicles, just be... left behind? "It had to be an evacuation..." She said. It was the first thing that came to her mind, and it'd explain why everything was scattered about.

"Evacuation?" Mikoto asked. "What were they evacuating for?"

Before Uiharu could answer her, they all heard an explosion in the distance, quite a bit away judging by the loudness of it. "An... attack." Uiharu muttered, just as another bout of gunfire started.

"An attack!?" Saten exclaimed, Uiharu only nodding her head in response.  
"What should we do?" Mikoto asked, looking towards the source of the gunfire. "We don't even know where we are."

Kuroko stepped forward, her eyes meeting with Uiharu's as she took charge of the situation. "First of all, we need to find shelter. If there has been an attack, it is far too dangerous to stay outside. There should be a bomb shelter for this, but we need to find it." Kuroko's hand went to her chin as she looked down. "But..."

"But it may be even more dangerous to move around." Uiharu finished for her.  
Kuroko nodded. "That's right."  
"But we can't just stand around here." Mikoto said with a sigh.

As they all thought about what to do, Saten looked up into the sky. Her thoughts were interrupted as soon as she spotted something big coming out of sky, heading right towards them. "G-guys..." She began taking a step back. "There's something coming straight at us!" She exclaimed, causing both Kuroko and Uiharu to snap their heads up.

Their Judgment training instantly kicked in. "Everyone, get back in the alley!" Kuroko shouted, Uiharu grabbing Saten and pulling her down to the ground in the middle of the alley. "Onee-sama!" Kuroko cried out, grabbing Mikoto's arm and teleporting them both down to the ground.

Mikoto cried out as her back hit the ground for the second time that day, but all thoughts of discomfort were forgotten when she saw some kind of aircraft pass by overhead, a large hole in its side and flames covering its entire left wing. She could feel the heat of the flames against her skin, pricking her nerves as it passed by; and, only moments later, a massive crash rippled throughout the area, making the ground vibrate underneath the girls and causing a roof to cave in.

"Onee-sama, are you injured?" Kuroko asked in a soft voice, her face only centimeters away from Mikoto's own.  
Mikoto looked into her eyes. "Kuroko, that was a plane..."  
"A... plane...?"

Their eyes widened at the same moment. If it was a plane, there had to be people in it! "Uiharu!" Kuroko called out, appearing at the mouth of the alley as Mikoto climbed back up onto her feet. "That was a plane that just crashed! We need to check for survivors!"

"R-right!" Uiharu answered, quickly following Kuroko with Saten right behind her as Mikoto darted out in front, taking the lead, much to Kuroko's displeasure.

The plane was far down the street at an intersection, only part of its tail protruding out from behind the buildings on their right. Debris was littered all around it, and several visible cars were complete wrecks from where the plane had run over them on its way down; the road itself showed the angle it had come in at, with the asphalt broken and a gorge running through it. Just as Mikoto approached the second alley down from the one they had left, _something _suddenly stepped out from the shadows. Something big, tall, and _not _human.

Mikoto cried out, stopping so suddenly that she almost lost her balance. Behind her, the girls stopped almost as suddenly as she just had, and Uiharu was unfortunate enough to slip and land on her butt. They all stared up at the creature, Uiharu clutching her laptop to her chest.

It was... _big_. It towered above them all, standing at least eight feet tall with a broad chest and a narrow waist. Instead of a mouth, it had mandibles, two on either side of its face along with four-digits on its hands, two opposable thumbs on each hand. It's knees bent backwards and yellow-orange eyes stared down at them, with what almost seemed like disgust in them. It looked like some kind of alien. A very intimidating alien that frightened them, especially with the way it was looking down on them.

"Hi-hi there..." Mikoto muttered, taking a step back, the color draining from her face. It started towards her, alarming her when it didn't stop. Behind Mikoto, Saten was dragging Uiharu back up onto her feet as they all started walking backwards away from it. "H-hey...?" Mikoto tried again. The alien didn't respond, it's hand only going down to its thigh and grabbing a device on it, flicking it once and activating it. What appeared to be blue energy appeared on either side of the apparent 'hilt', forming into two blades that ended together like a prong.

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko cried out just as the alien raised the sword up above its head, Mikoto catching the movement and already guessing what it was going to do.

Just as she rolled to the side, the alien brought the sword down right where she had been standing. As she got back up onto her feet, it was already lunging forward with its sword ready for a horizontal slash. Mikoto acted quickly, using magnetism to propel her back just as it slashed through now empty air. Her back hit the building behind her hard, nearly making her cry out in pain before she dropped to her knees. She suffered through it, and locked eyes with the seemingly confused alien. "Wh-what are you doing!?" She cried out, ready to unleash her power as electricity began to spark down her arms.

It eyed her for a few moments, its eyes trained on her arms. **"Heretic..."** It finally muttered, right before its eyes narrowed onto her own. **"Die!" **It roared, rushing her. With little time to think, she raised her hand and sent a bolt of lightning straight into its chest.

* * *

Toha's shields suddenly collapsed as his eyes were blinded by the light, his HUD going haywire and failing on him as he dropped down to his knees, crying out in pain as the shocks flooded his body. Then, just as soon as it began, it was over, leaving him sitting there with scorched nerves. His eyes were wide open in shock, as he wondered just what this human, this _filth, _had done to him even as his hands hit the ground, his breathing becoming ragged.

_Lightning..._

It had shot _lightning _at him! Right from its fingertips...!

_Im-impossible!_ He cried out in his head._ Not even the demons are capable of such atrocity!_

The heretic took a step towards him, his eyes snapping up as more lightning sparked in the palm of its hand. **_"Still awake?" _**It asked, saying something in its language that he didn't understand.

Toha's eyes darted for his energy sword, but it was nowhere in sight; he was unarmed! _**"Do you want to do this the easy way, or the hard way?" **_More lightning sparked in its palm, stronger than before. This human was going to take him down, and so easily! _No... Not after all these years of being stuck in that forsaken dropship!_ Gathering all of his strength, he roared one last roar of defiance as he grabbed his only plasma grenade, right before the lightning enveloped him and unconsciousness swept over him.

His scorched body slumped to the ground, his hand opening up and allowing a glowing, blue ball to roll out of it and stick to the ground.

* * *

"There." Mikoto said as she looked at the smoking, yet still alive, alien. She wondered if she had gone a little overboard with that last shock of hers, but that first shock had been enough to make anyone pass out! Well, anyone human... and even if he did get hurt because of her, it was his own fault for attacking her. As she took another step towards it, she caught sight of something glowing right by its hand. "What's-"

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko cried out, appearing right behind her before teleporting them both away. When the alien had roared before the brunette's second shock, she had caught sight of it grab something off of its belt; a small, blue orb. When she saw it start glowing, she didn't know what else it could be other than a grenade.

Sure enough, as soon as she and Mikoto arrived at the car Uiharu and Saten were hiding behind, the orb exploded in a brilliant, fiery hot flash of plasma, sending a wave of heat that washed over the entire area. When the girls looked back after the flash, they saw that the entire area around the grenade was melting, and further out the rest of it was charred black; and, right in the middle of it was what remained of the blackened body of the alien.

"What... what was that?" Mikoto asked, covering her mouth as she looked away from the corpse, the smell of scorched, alien flesh making her sick.  
"It was a grenade..." Kuroko muttered.  
"A... grenade?" Mikoto asked, looking at her friend with wide eyes.  
"Yes." The redhead merely said.

"Why... why would it...?" She spared another glance at the corpse before once again tearing her eyes away from it, her free hand tightening into a fist. The fetus-monster during the Level-Upper incident had been one thing to kill; but, this alien... it had been an actual, _living _being. It had spoke English. It obviously had had _intelligence_; but, now, it's just a charred body void of any life. Even though it tried to kill her... Even though it took its own life...

Why...?

A hand was suddenly upon her shoulder, and Mikoto looked back over her shoulder and into Saten's eyes. "Misaka, you didn't do anything wrong." She began, a smile forming on her face, "You protected us, all of us."

Uiharu gave a quick nod in agreement. "Sa-Saten-san's right! It would have killed you if you hadn't done something!"

Mikoto gave them a soft smile, the somber look still in her eyes. "Yeah..." She said, despite feeling like there was something that she could have done to prevent its death. She didn't even know why it had attacked them. It had called her 'heretic', so was it for some kind of religious purpose...? Even so, it... It didn't have to die!

Kuroko placed a hand on Mikoto's other shoulder, her grasp a little tighter than normal. She knew what her Onee-sama was thinking; but she didn't know what kind of consul, if any, she could give. So, she just opted for trying to get her mind onto saving lives, instead of thinking about the lost. "Onee-sama, we need to check the crash site out, see if anyone survived."

Uiharu nodded. "The grenade might have left some kind of radiation, so we should move around it just to be safe." She said, taking a look over the blast area only to shy away when her eyes landed on the corpse.

"Right." Mikoto agreed, standing up tall as she looked around for a side route. "That way." She said, pointing to the only alley they had passed on their way down the street. "I'll take the lead, just in case we come across anymore aliens."

"I shall also take the lead!" Kuroko stated, not going to let her Onee-sama face such danger alone again. Mikoto smiled at her, a warm smile that sent red racing across the younger girl's cheeks.  
"I'm counting on you, Kuroko."  
"Hai, Onee-sama! Kuroko will not let you down!" She proudly stated, a hand against her chest.

Mikoto's mood improved, and her smile grew as she looked back at Uiharu and Saten. "Let's go!" With that, they started making their way towards the crash site, not yet realizing that they had landed in the middle of a gruesome war, but it was only a matter of time...


	2. The Crash Site

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo**

* * *

**Colony World of Ballast  
September 28th, 2552  
**

_"I've lost contact with Delta-287! I repeat, contact with Pelican Dropship Delta-287 has been lost!"  
"They were carrying our reinforcements, Ops!"  
"I understand the situation, 2nd Platoon, but we do not have anyone left to assist you. Hold out for as long as you can."  
"Hold out!? I'm losing men one after ano- Hunters! We need help ASAP!"  
"Lieutenant, you-"_

_"This is 1st Lieutenant Saionji of the 105th Shock Troops Division, I'm on my way!"  
"ODST?"  
"Affirmative Lieutenant."  
"...Copy that. Ops, we'll hold."_

* * *

Kazari's eyes went wide at the sight, the flower-haired girl nearly dropping her laptop as she stared at the carnage of the crash site. The other three girls had similar reactions, all four of them standing frozen, rooted to the spot. Bits and pieces, both small and large, littered the area around the broken body of the aircraft. Flames burned high from the detached wing and the busted cockpit, carrying with it the stench of burning flesh. A single body was visible towards the rear of the craft, lying face down on the ground away from it, blood staining a large portion of its side.

Kazari's arms tightened around her laptop, her eyes fixated on the large pool of fresh blood around the man's body, unable to look away. Saten-san was equally shocked by the sight, her bat falling to the ground as she looked at the man with wide eyes, holding both hands over her mouth.

Shirai-san was the one to make her way over to him first, Misaka-san watching her as she got down on her knee and checked for a pulse. The look on her face was enough to tell them what they already knew. He's dead.

As Kuroko started back onto her feet, her eyes drifted over to the inside of the plane. Instantly, she froze, suddenly sick to the stomach at what she saw. Covering her mouth, she fell down to her knees, looking away from the sight with terror-stricken eyes. Mikoto hurried over, kneeling down beside her as Uiharu and Saten snapped out of their trance and hurried over as well, only to slow to a stop once they saw the inside of the wreck.

"Kuroko!" Mikoto called out to the redhead, one hand on her arm and the other on her back. "Kuroko?" The girl glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes and that was all she received as an answer.

"Mi-Misaka-san..." Uiharu's voice was but a whisper, so low that Mikoto almost didn't catch it.

She looked up at her and noticed that both her and Saten were staring into the wreck; and, following their gaze, she saw what had horrified Kuroko and felt her own stomach turn sick. There were nine bodies inside of the wrecked craft, blood seeping out through their clothes, or, in one man's case, where his lower right arm should have been. Right by the large hole in the side of the craft were two half-charred men sprawled out on the ground, their harnesses that should have held them up in their seats melted off. She could only see the face of the first one, but it was obvious that he suffered before he died, likely on impact if the blood pooling underneath his head was anything to go by.

Her grip on Kuroko tightened. If she hadn't already been holding onto the girl, she'd likely have collapsed at the sight. "Did... anyone survive...?" Mikoto asked, her voice coming out low and scared.

One of the heads suddenly moved, startling all of them and even causing Uiharu to cry out and fall down onto her butt, her laptop still clutched against her chest. **"W-who's there...?"** The man spoke English, his tone frightful as his head moved around. The girls were too startled to give an answer, and he spoke up again, his voice sounding even more afraid. **"S-sarge...?"**

Mikoto swallowed, standing up onto her feet and approaching the man, wary of the blood littering the floor and the bodies of the men still strapped to their seats or sprawled out on the floor. She forced her wariness of the blood down, though, concentrating on the man after stepping over the two bodies on the ground. **"We're... here to help. Are you injured?"** She forced herself to ask, speaking in English.

The corporal couldn't hear clearly, but he could tell that the distorted voice wasn't anyone from his squad. Knowing that only other marines would be this far out on the edge of the city, he took the owner of the voice to be of another squad. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a slowly fading, jarring pain in his side. He grimaced as he opened his eyes, only to be met with pitch-black darkness. Realization hit him; it was the end for him.

**"N-no. Not me..."** He muttered, reaching up for his helmet and taking it off just as Mikoto reached him.  
**"Wh-what?"** She asked, shocked by his words.

**"You've... got to help... the 2nd Platoon."** He held the helmet out, and was relieved to feel that it was taken from him, though he could feel the slight hesitation that the other marine had. **"Waypoint is up... on the HUD..."** He coughed, blood dripping down from his mouth. **"You... have to hurry..."**

Mikoto's eyes widened even more at the blood, the girl taking a step back and only now catching sight of the end of the piece of metal sticking out of the man's side. **"J-just hold on,"** She began hurriedly, panic in her voice, **"we're going t-"**

Her voice was cut off when he ripped his dog-tags off and held them out to her, Mikoto staring at them for a moment before silently taking them, too shocked to protest. **"We were... supposed to flank from behind... But, a Banshee... it got us..."** His eyelids slowly started to close as his fingers slipped away from his dog-tags. **"Help... the 2nd..."** His arm fell limp, and his eyes closed for the last time.

**"H-hey!"** Mikoto cried out, but stopped when she realized he was already gone, no longer with the living. She stared at him, hearing only her own heavy breathing. She raised her hand and looked at the dog tags, catching the name. _James Kelly_. Her hand tightened around them. _The... 2nd Platoon? He didn't care... about himself...? Instead, he worried about the 2nd? _Her eyes glanced over at the helmet in her other hand, supported against her arm. _What does he mean_..._ by a waypoint?_

"Onee-sama..." Kuroko stood at the entrance of the aircraft, a somber expression on her face as she looked over at the man who had just passed on.

Mikoto looked up, glancing around at the men, studying them. They were all wearing uniforms and armor, clearly military, and she could make out the abbreviation of 'UNSC' many times over, but she had no clue what it stood for other than that it was likely their organization. One thing was clear though: these men were ready for battle. At least, they had been...

"Kuroko..." She said, locking eyes with the redhead. "I think... we're in the middle of a warzone."  
Kuroko's eyes widened. "A warzone...? But-!" She leaned forward, her expression one of distress and disbelief. "We were just in Academy City! How could we possibly be in a warzone?"

Mikoto headed out of the wreck, past Kuroko, her shoes tracking blood where there wasn't any. "Do you know what those thugs we were going after stole?"

Kuroko stepped aside when the brunette came out, her eyes glancing over at Uiharu who was standing farther away than before with Saten at her side, the long-haired girl apparently trying to get both of their minds off of what they had seen. "It was an experimental device, but they did not specify of what kind."

"An experimental device." Mikoto thought out loud, wondering just what had happened. They had been running through Academy City's alleys on short notice, chasing after a group of thugs who had broken into a research facility and stolen a device. They caught up to them right by a power plant, and that's when the fight started; and, when one of them pulled a gun, and she had used her power, all of a sudden there was that flash of light and they ended up here.

_Here? What is here?_

Gunfire filled the air now, a plane had come crashing down out of nowhere, and there were _aliens _walking around! Nothing is familiar. The cars don't look anything like what's outside of Academy City, the plane didn't even look _similar _to anything she's seen before. The plane is actually more of a dropship than a plane, as it had been ferrying soldiers...

Also, the aliens... She doubted that, an entire city evacuated and turned into a warzone, could be kept secret from the rest of the world, but there's been nothing unusual on the news lately. Surely, if there were aliens invading, they'd have heard something! Even though an alien attack is an absurd idea, she had no choice but to accept it as fact after fighting one face-to-face; either that, or the aliens are actually mutated lizards with advanced technology that happen to speak English. She seriously doubts that.

Mikoto wasn't quite sure what to make of it all, but one thing is certain: they aren't in Academy City anymore. Looking at Kuroko, she only had one plausible guess. "Kuroko, could it have been some kind of teleporter?"

Kuroko's head snapped up in surprise. "A man-made teleporter?" She asked incredulously, a bit shocked by the idea. She then looked down, going into thought as her hand went to her chin. Her Onee-sama actually made sense with that conclusion, but it was still an absurd idea. After all, teleportation using modern technology instead of supernatural powers? But, how else were they to explain how they had suddenly ended up here? "That is logical..." She agreed, before her eyes snapped open in realization. "If that's so, what about those thugs and the device itself? Won't they also be here?"

"You're right." Mikoto nodded, looking towards the sky. "It's strange we didn't all end up in the same place."

"Hey," Saten suddenly chimed in, approaching the girls with Uiharu by her side, "maybe it's because we were standing away from them? We were separated when Misaka used her power, so maybe they got teleported somewhere else!"

"If it is... If it is an experimental device like we were told, then it's highly likely." Uiharu added, her voice coming out soft at first before she realized it and spoke up. "The device was in the middle of their group, so it probably went with them."

"So, we have to find those guys so that we can get back home?" Mikoto asked, looking around at her friends. "But where do we start? They could be anywhere."

Kuroko looked at Uiharu, her face all business. "Uiharu, the research facility gave you tracking information on the device, correct?" She asked, remembering that was how they had tracked the thugs down in the first place.

"Hai!" Uiharu answered, nodding as she opened her laptop up. "But without a proper map I can't get any information on where it is." She turned the power on, the laptop starting up. "I'll see if I can connect to a local network."

* * *

For three days now, the Jackal has been moving from one sniper spot to the next, on the look out for enemy patrols that may pass by. On the first day there had been one: a single Warthog with three occupants. It and its partner had caught them in a crossfire, taking out the gunner and the driver, but the passenger had been greatly underestimated. Jumping out of the vehicle as it crashed, it had taken aim and shot down the Jackal's partner before either could open fire again; fortunately, the Jackal was able to take the human down right after. Unfortunately, it now no longer had any back up; but retreat was not an option, otherwise it may feel the wrath of the Field Marshall itself.

Since then there have been no more patrols; but, just a short time ago, one of the enemy's dropships had crashed down onto the street below, quite a bit away. One human had stumbled out of the craft before the Jackal shot it down; and, when no other humans exited the crash, it went to move to a vantage point closer to the wreck, wary of its surroundings. When it had reached the roof of the building and looked down upon the wreck, it spotted four humans standing under the wrecked tail.

Assessing the situation, they were mere civilians, unarmed; but it had its orders. The Jackal lifted up its beam rifle, studying the girls to see which one to take out first before sighting on the one that held a portable computer in its hands. Frankly, they all looked the same to the Jackal; so, it just went for the one that seemed to be up to something.

Then, it pulled the trigger.

* * *

_Something _shot by Ruiko's eyes and before she knew it Uiharu's laptop clattered to the ground, her eyes widening in terror as she saw the girl follow it. "KAZARI!" She shouted, lunging forward and catching her friend before she could hit the ground, her voice laced with panic. "Kazari! Kazari!" She repeated, tears pooling in her eyes.

Mikoto's eyes widened as they followed Uiharu to the ground, and she felt a surge of fear. Spotting the direction the beam had come from, she dropped the helmet and quickly magnetized the large, burning wing of the dropship and moved it to cover them, her fear fueling her speed. As she did this, Kuroko darted pass her, picking up an abandoned pistol before vanishing into thin air. The wing was heavy, but that hardly crossed Mikoto's mind.

As soon as Kuroko had seen Uiharu falling, she felt a sudden surge of adrenaline rush through her; and, barely thinking, she dashed forward, picking up a pistol before appearing on the rooftop the beam had come from. She brought the pistol up, ready to pull the trigger at whatever had shot her friend; but, her eyes widened at what she saw instead.

Back on the ground, Mikoto hurriedly turned to Saten, half of her focus on keeping the wing up and the other half on Uiharu. "Saten, is Uiharu-" Her voice cut off as soon as she saw the tears fall from Saten's eyes, landing on Uiharu's cheeks.

"Kazari..." Saten muttered, her lips forming a smile as the tears fell down her cheeks.  
Uiharu's eyes were wide open, the girl's mouth quivering. She was stunned, but she was alright.  
"Thank goodness..." Mikoto breathed. "We thought you got hit."

With Saten's help Uiharu managed to sit up, right before she wrapped her arms around the girl, her body shivering as she buried her head into the taller girl's shoulder. "It... It went... right in... front of my eyes..." She muttered, her voice trembling with fear and her body shaking with light sobbing. It had come so close to hitting her that she could still feel the heat of it across her face. If it had hit her... she knew she wouldn't be alive.

* * *

A bird-like alien was lying on the roof on its side, a long triangular-shaped weapon at its feet. Kuroko lowered her pistol, but still kept it somewhat pointed at the alien as she walked up to it. Coming closer, she caught sight of a wound in its back; two wounds, actually. She bent down, taking a closer look. The wounds were the exact same, one right over the other, not separated by much. They didn't bleed; rather, they appeared to be cauterized. Placing a finger to the edge of the wound, she could feel the slightest bit of heat radiating off of it; the wounds were fresh, as was its death.

Sensing someone behind her, she snapped her head up and aimed her pistol at... nothing. Then, for just a moment, it seemed like the air was shimmering; but, it was only for a moment, and the disturbance was gone. There was no one here other than her; but, someone had to have killed that alien. Just now. It was obvious whoever was responsible for this was gone; so, she took one last look at the corpse before teleporting back to her Onee-sama and the others.

As soon as she saw Uiharu was unharmed, relief came crashing over her, almost forcing her to her knees at how happy she was that her friend is okay, but she managed to maintain her composure. "Kuroko, is it safe?" Her Onee-sama asked upon the redhead's return; and, as soon as she nodded, Mikoto sighed in relief and set the wing down, carefully.

"Another alien, the sniper," Kuroko said, getting their attention, "when I arrived, it had just been killed. However, I didn't see who or what did it."  
"That's strange..." Mikoto muttered.

"What..." Saten began, getting their attention on her and Uiharu. "What if there's more of them...?" She asked, her arms tightening around Uiharu, protecting her. "What are we going to do?" First, a plane came dropping out of the sky; second, an alien blew itself up right in front of them; and third, another alien had just tried to kill Uiharu! _What's... What's going to happen next?_

_What _are _we going to do? _Mikoto asked herself. She didn't know what to do! They couldn't just stay in one place; more aliens might show up! But, if they moved around, there could be more snipers... Then, what about the 2nd Platoon that the soldier had talked about. And, what about this 'waypoint'?

Too dangerous to stay put, too dangerous to move around; neither was any less dangerous. But what would they do if they just stuck around? It's not safe out here; but, if they were to move, where would they go...?

_Help... the 2nd..._

The military... maybe they'd be able to help; and, if not, it'd still be safer with them then out here on their own. It'll be dangerous to try and find them, but they didn't have much of a choice. It had to be done. "The soldier in the crash," Mikoto began, her voice soft, "he told me to go help the 2nd Platoon..."

"2nd... Platoon...?" Uiharu asked as she was helped back up onto her feet by Saten, who retrieved her laptop for her once she was able to stand on her own.

Mikoto nodded, Kuroko watching her closely as she continued. "They were heading to assist the 2nd, so I think we should head there. It'll be safer with the military around; it's too dangerous to be out here on our own." She gave a somber look back at the dropship. "They won't be able to help them; but, maybe, we can help in their place. At least I can." She looked down at her hand, electricity sparking over it. Her ability is highly destructive; it's perfect for something like this.

"What if there are more snipers out there?" Saten questioned.  
Kuroko was the one to answer. "We don't have much of a choice. If we stay here, more aliens will show up, looking for survivors, especially when they've lost contact with their friend."

Mikoto nodded in agreement. "We can't hide either. We don't know what kind of technology these guys have. Besides, if we help the military out, maybe they'll help us too."

"I agree with Onee-sama; it'll be safer for us with the military."  
"I agree too." Saten said, nodding.  
"But, how do we find them?" Uiharu asked as she closed her laptop, the power long off from being dropped.

Mikoto's hand went to her chin just as Saten caught sight of something, the girl already walking off to investigate. "He said something about a waypoint up on a... HUD." Her voice was laced with confusion, the girl not knowing exactly what the terms meant. "After saying that, he handed me his-"

"I think I know how to find them..." Mikoto, Kuroko, and Uiharu looked over at the sound of Saten's voice, catching sight of the girl wearing the soldier's helmet Misaka had dropped earlier.

* * *

**2nd Platoon**

An explosion sent 1st Lieutenant Wayne flying back down onto the ground just as Smith went down with a burning hole in his chest. Gunfire sounded out all around him, being met with the sounds of plasma and needles being fired. "Where are our reinforcements!?" Someone shouted just as another fuel rod shot blasted a hole into a building.

"He'll be here!" Wayne shouted, his voice carrying to the remaining twenty-fou- - Private Lamay went down, a carbine round going through her chest - twenty-_three_ men and women under his command. He grimaced and scrambled back up onto his feet, sighting over a barricade and downing three Grunts with two bursts of BR fire before taking out a Jackal who had left itself exposed for a brief moment. However, the real problem is the two Hunters inching closer and closer to their _second _and last line of barricades.

The firefight had been going on for a good hour now, and he had started out with _forty _men and women in his command along with two Warthogs providing support. However, almost half of his soldiers had been killed, three others were wounded, and the Warthogs long blasted to bits. The Covenant had assaulted their position en masse, swarms of Grunts being sent in before the rest of the bloody aliens showed up, bringing with them a Wraith. Of course, as soon as his platoon spent all of their heavy ordinance taking out the Wraith, _Hunters _had to show up. It was _not _a good day, especially when he overheard reports that the 3rd and 4th platoons were being simultaneously attacked along with his platoon.

After so much fighting, the enemy force only consisted of over four dozen Grunts, a couple dozen Jackals, and a dozen or so Elites mixed in, _and_ the two Hunters. However, the aliens were putting up a good fight. Elites dodged in and out of cover, not letting their shields fall before they got back into cover, even when the marines tried to focus their fire on one at a time. The Jackals stayed behind their energy gauntlets, protecting Grunts and each other as they took potshots at whoever tried to poke his or her head out from cover.

The only good thing going for them was that the enemy was attacking all from the front, and only the front, not even bothering to try and flank them (if they knew _how_). However, his men were so hard-pressed by the assault that it was taking all of them to keep the Covenant at bay to the point where Wayne couldn't even spare a _single _marine to flank the enemy.

All they could do was keep on shooting and pray that reinforcements would get here quickly.

* * *

**Unknown**

_Strange. All civilians in this sector should have been evacuated to the shelters, so how are there four school-girls wandering out in the city? Stranger still, their school uniforms do not match any school in this city _or _the planet. I've alerted the captain about this; however, there are currently no units free to retrieve them._

_Hold on..._

_What's this?_

* * *

"This is... a bit heavy." Ruiko muttered, still wearing the helmet, as she picked up one of the rifles lying on the ground. A small scope was on top of it, but it was too short for some kind of sniper rifle, though it was slightly longer than the majority of the rifles lying around. "Oh, wow!" She exclaimed as she saw two new things pop up onto the 'HUD'. She saw a representation of the rifle she held down in the bottom-right corner of the display along with a number that read 0, though there was a number of boxes under the rifle; counting, she found 15, the same number as the blue number on the rifle. Taking a guess, she believed it meant how many bullets she had in her current clip. Not only that, but wherever she moved the rifle, a dot followed out in front of it. Mock aiming it at the wall, she made a guess that it depicted where the bullet would land if she fired.

"Saten, be careful with that." Came Shirai's voice from her side as the girl approached her, a belt with a holster and a pistol in it around her waist along with a belt slung over her shoulder, which was laden with the soldiers' grenades. The redhead leaned forward, eying the rifle before pointing something out. "There's the safety, pull it this way only _once_ to be able to fire." Kuroko instructed, showing Saten what to do. There were three settings: SAFE, FIRE, and AUTO. There was no way she was going to let her put it on AUTO, though; who knows what would happen.

"Are you finished yet?" Mikoto asked from where she stood outside of the wreck, Uiharu by her side but with her eyes averted away from the bodies. The reason Kuroko and Saten were getting weapons was, of course, for protection against any aliens they may come across. Although Kuroko's needles would work fine against them (just teleport one inside their brain), she only had so many of them. Saten's bat... probably useless.

Kuroko finished adorning Saten with a belt that had a holster and pistol after showing her the safety on the pistol before looking back towards Mikoto. "Yes, Onee-sama!" She called out, her voice serious.  
"Same here." Saten muttered as she tried to get used to the feel of the belt and the weight of the rifle.

"I'll lead the way; Kuroko, watch the rear," Mikoto turned her eyes over to Saten, her gaze only meeting the small, yellow visor her helmet had, "Saten, make sure we stay in the right direction."

"Right! I will!"

Mikoto set her eyes forward, her expression turning dead serious. "Let's go!" Moving carefully, they started off in the direction of the 2nd Platoon, the girls not noticing the surveillance cameras watching them nor noticing that they were being followed.


	3. Electromaster

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo**

* * *

**Unknown Location  
Unknown Date**

Mikoto peered out from the alley they had moved down, her eyes scanning windows and rooftops with a keen gaze, looking for the slightest thing out of place. It took time to do so for the entire area, but they couldn't risk coming across anymore snipers. They wouldn't be as lucky as last time. When she was certain that there was no threat, she looked back to her friends. "Let's go."

The four girls exited the alley, Mikoto taking the lead as they ran down the sidewalk, Kuroko in the back and keeping an eye on the buildings, pistol in hand. On her display, Saten checked the waypoint's position, making sure they were still headed in the right direction. "We just have to keep going straight ahead for now." She said, noticing how the arrow was still listing to the left a little.

"Tell us when we need to turn." Mikoto said, halting at an intersection and looking both ways, carefully observing the buildings before bolting across, Saten directly behind her, then Uiharu, and finally Kuroko.  
"Right!"

Just like that, they made their way towards the distant waypoint where the 2nd Platoon was located, hurrying towards the next intersection before stopping and inspecting both ways. When it was clear, they started across; however, that was when they noticed a high-pitched whine filling the air around them, like a wail from some kind of creature. It clearly wasn't human. nor did it sound like an animal. Actually...

"That noise... it sounds like... a Banshee...?" Saten voiced, her mind drifting off into horror movies for a moment.  
"A Banshee...?" Kuroko whispered, her eyes widening as her head snapped up towards Mikoto, both girls remembering the same words that the soldier had uttered.

_We were... supposed to flank from behind... But, a Banshee... it got us..._

"Everyone, inside!" Mikoto shouted, her eyes sighting upon an open building. Kuroko quickly grabbed ahold of Uiharu and Saten before teleporting them both inside, the redhead then reaching out for Mikoto's hand just as something whipped by overhead. Their eyes snapped upwards, catching sight of a purple, alien craft circling around.

"Kuroko!" Mikoto exclaimed, shoving the girl towards the building before taking off to the opposite side of the street, electricity sparking about her feet as she gave herself somewhat of a boost. The craft, the _Banshee_, had obviously noticed them, otherwise it wouldn't be circling around. She didn't know what it was capable of, if it had weapons capable of destroying an entire building; she just knew that she had to get its attention away from her friends!

It worked, as the Banshee was now pointing towards her as she ran further down the street. A very small amount of purple and black smoke drifted out from a gash in its side, apparently having been recently damaged, but that didn't keep it from opening fire.

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko cried out.

Mikoto suddenly went flying off to the right, her side painfully hitting the side of a car as a clumsy barrage of plasma bolts seared holes into the concrete near where she had just been running. Apparently, whatever damage it had taken had affected the Banshee's aim, unless it was just always that bad at shooting.

"Misaka!" A voice cried out, but she ignored it as the Banshee let its fire up for a moment, the girl taking that moment to channel her electricity and fire a lightning bolt right up at the craft just after it fired a large, green ball of plasma before hurriedly veering off towards the left to dodge her attack. As the lightning tore into the right side of the vehicle, Mikoto violently pulled herself towards a building to her right, her hand and feet taking the brunt of the impact though her back brushed up against the wall for a moment, hard.

The car she had been up against exploded in a fiery ball of flame as Mikoto's head snapped back up, catching sight of the Banshee flying past as it veered up into the air, beginning to circle around. The brunette gritted her teeth and dropped to the ground, electricity sparking all about her as she prepared to end it once and for all. However, just as it turned to face her, and just as she prepared to send multiple lightning bolts up at it at once, a loud _CRACK _split the air.

* * *

In front of the window laid two army troopers, one prone on the ground with a sniper rifle still cradled in his hands and the other slumped down onto the ground next to him, a pair of binoculars and a pistol at his side. They were long dead, mere corpses now, but their equipment and weapons were still present. Steps echoed in the abandoned building as something, or someone, hurriedly ran up to them. A hand reached down for the sniper's rifle, hesitating for just a brief moment before tearing it out of the man's hold with newfound determination.

For the first time in three days the rifle's trigger was pulled.

* * *

Mikoto flinched at the sound; and, in that moment, something struck the Banshee, leaving a line of smoke in its wake. The Banshee continued to fly, but it never finished its turn, simply dropping lower and lower until it crashed into the roof of a building, igniting into blue and purple flames as it exploded into a million different pieces. By the time she snapped to after her surprise, the trail of smoke was already gone, leaving no way to tell where it had come from.

"Misaka-san!" Uiharu called, Mikoto's eyes glancing over to catch sight of Uiharu and Saten running over to her; Kuroko appeared at her side before she knew it, her eyes quickly looking her over, a clear look of concern on the redhead's face.

"Onee-sama, are you injured?" Before Mikoto could answer, Kuroko came around and examined her back, catching sight of a tear in the uniform, along with a scratch marring her skin. When Mikoto looked back at her, she was met with a very upset look. "What were you thinking!?" Kuroko practically yelled, suddenly leaning forward and making the brunette take a step back in alarm. "Don't run off on your own, Onee-sama! What would I have done if something had happened to you!" She was suddenly up against Mikoto, her trembling hands grasping the older girl's uniform, her eyes hidden underneath her bangs.

"Onee-sama..."

_Uh... _Mikoto wasn't good with these kinds of situations, she's never been, and now was no exception. Uiharu and Saten, having seen what was going on, were keeping their distance, so she couldn't rely on them to help her with the trembling redhead clinging to her.

It was... very awkward.

Mikoto looked down at Kuroko, her lips forming into a soft smile; she really didn't know if this was the right way to go about it, but she had to try. So, bringing her hands up and placing them on the younger girl, she smiled down at her. "Kuroko, I'm sorry." She said, placing her arms around Kuroko, hugging her close to her. "I shouldn't have worried you like that."

"Onee-sama..." Kuroko whispered, blinking back tears as she looked up at her smiling Onee-sama.  
"Will you forgive me?" Mikoto asked, wiping away some of the tears away on Kuroko's cheek.  
Uiharu and Saten blushed at the lovey-dovey atmosphere that was forming between Mikoto and Kuroko, both girls taking a step back to give them more space.

"H-hai." Kuroko whispered, staring into Mikoto's beautiful brown irises that stared right back. The brunette smiled brighter, and Kuroko felt her heart flutter at the sight. Closing her eyes, she slowly started leaning forward, lost in the moment.  
With her cheeks flaring up and eyes widening in surprise as the redhead moved closer, Mikoto quickly pressed her hand across the girl's face and pushed her back. "Wh-what do you think you're doing!?" She cried out.

"Ah, Onee-sama, and the atmosphere was just right for a kiss~" Kuroko whined, waiting until Mikoto removed her hand from her face to back off. "Do you not agree, Uiharu, Saten?"

Mikoto looked over at the two girls, who still had flushed cheeks. Both were reluctant to answer Kuroko, but the redhead took their stammering response as a 'yes'. "See, Onee-sama?" She asked, getting up close to Mikoto before closing her eyes and leaning forward, again. "Now, where were we~?"

This time, Mikoto's hand wrapped around the girl's mouth, a serious expression on her face. "Kuroko, we need to get moving." Kuroko's own expression turned serious as she nodded, her word of agreement muffled by the hand across her mouth. Looking back, the brunette called out to Saten and then they moved forward, flirtatious banter left behind.

* * *

**Company Headquarters**

_This is..._

"The 3rd and 4th Platoons are currently being engaged by Covenant forces in the south-west and west areas of the city, respectively, and are holding their positions with a moderate number of casualties; however, the 2nd Platoon in the north is engaged in heavy combat with the Covenant, heavy casualties. Recon Force Bravo is currently patrolling the north-west area, but we can't recall them or a hole will be opened up in our defensive line and the city, and the base, will be open to an enemy assault. The 3rd and 4th cannot spare any reinforcements, neither can we; we've already lost an entire squad and one of our few remaining Pelicans." Army Major Tachibana explained as she, Lieutenant Cagle of the 1st Platoon, and Captain Prock, commander of the company, looked over a tactical map of the city.

"Our tanks are still undergoing maintenance here, and we cannot risk sending a squad in by ground otherwise they could get pinned down by sniper fire. The 2nd Platoon will have to hold out on their own with Lieutenant Saionji's help. There's nothing else we can do...!" Lieutenant Cagle added, his hands tightly clenching the edge of the table.

Captain Prock stared at the map, her expression tense. There was no way for her to send help to the 2nd without jeopardizing the safety of the base and the underground shelters that held the remaining people of the city. The ODST was the only person able to help, but he's only one soldier. It was still going to take another hour, at the least, for the tanks to be ready; if they could hold out until then, then the entire battle would shift in their favor... but that was too far away.

"Captain." At the sound of the AI's voice, Prock looked over to the pedestal in the room.  
"Yes, Cole?"  
"I request that you immediately order Recon Force Bravo to the 2nd Platoon's position, and move in the 2nd and 3rd squads from the 1st to cover the gap."  
"And leave only the 1st squad here!?" Cagle cried out, dumbfounded by the idea.

Prock stared incredulously at the AI, her own eyes wide at the absurdity of the idea. "Cole, I can understand your concern for the 2nd, but to expose ourselves like that to the Covenant base opposite of us is-"  
"The civilians I mentioned earlier." Cole said, cutting Prock off.  
"What about them?"  
"One of them is a living weapon."

Silence washed over the room for a moment, at least where the three officers were standing as plenty of background noise carried on. Prock cleared her throat, tugging at her collar before speaking. "What... do you mean?"

Cole smiled as she gestured to a video screen. "I'll show you."

* * *

**2nd Platoon**

"Lieutenant!" Wayne ducked down, the particle beam glancing the side of his helmet and slamming into the ground in front of him. That was the 2nd time the sniper had tried getting him, and this time, he had finally figured its location. Spotting one of the company's snipers nearby, he got the veteran's attention.

"Hocking! Third building on the right, fourth story, second window from the left!" The man nodded acknowledgment, lifted his rifle over the sandbags, and pulled the trigger. He shifted aim and fired once more, catching the Jackal's partner.

_"Clear! Snipers down!"_ Hocking called back through the radio.  
"Focus fire on those Minors, headshots!" Wayne called back as he raised himself from cover and opened up on a Jackal, forcing it behind cover as a bullet came too close to its exposed hand.

"I need a clip!" Someone called out.  
"Here!" A voice answered, a clip of AR ammo flying through the air before being caught and slammed into the marine's assault rifle, the man then lifting it up and sending a Grunt down to the ground with a quick, short-fire burst.

Next to Wayne, Corporal McManus started unloading her pistol into an Elite Major. Before Wayne could tell her to conserve ammo, a _CRACK _sounded out and Hocking called out a word of thanks before being forced back into cover by a barrage of plasma.

_"Shifting position!"_

"Grenade!" Two marines dove for their lives, one marine too slow and getting his legs caught by the searing heat. He cried out in excruciating pain, a medic hurriedly heading over to him.

"Where's that ODST!?" Someone cried out, pulling a needle out of his shoulder right before it shattered, a single shard penetrating his glove and forcing him to yell out in pain. He ripped it out, and that was when a plasma bolt slammed into his helmet.

And, as if on cue, an explosion ripped apart a group of Jackals in the rear of the enemy formation, shattering a nearby Elite's shield. It spun around to face its aggressor only to find the end of a shotgun jammed into its mouth right before it went off, sending blood and gore flying. Wayne caught a glimpse of the dark armored figure before a flurry of green bolts sent it into an alley.

"He's here!" Wayne called out, taking the Covenant's momentary surprise at the attack on their flank to down two more jackals that had left themselves exposed for far too long. As their comrades beside them shifted their shields back into position, a hail of AR fire from the side cut down another one and two nearby Grunts.

_"This is Saionji, I'll weaken their left flank, keep those Hunters off of me!"  
_"We'll keep you covered, Lieutenant!" Wayne responded, a smile forming on his face as he issued out orders to his platoon. Just as some of their vigor returned, a fuel rod shot landed in the midst of two marines and he had to wonder just how much of a difference a single ODST would make.

The scent of freshly charred flesh next to him provided a grim answer as McManus fell to the ground, half of her face and upper body scorched through.

* * *

"We're almost there." Mikoto said as they ran down the street, the gunfire and explosions sounding loud in their ears, making them nervous. Her eyes moved about more frequently, scanning everywhere and everything for a single hint of an alien. "Saten, how much further?"

"If we take a right up here, then it should be straight ahead." Saten told her, clutching her rifle tighter.  
"Thanks."

A couple dozen meters later and they turned right into another alleyway, only to stop dead. Corpses could be seen through the alley on the street, the many corpses of a smaller kind of alien that spewed light blue blood, and a couple of bird-like alien corpses in the mix, violet blood on the ground around them. Mikoto gulped and continued forward, keeping close to the wall as they neared the end of the alley. Coming closer, they could see the extent of the aliens' injuries: bullets and shrapnel riddled their corpses, and some missed limbs or had their insides exposed. It wasn't a pretty sight, and it was a miracle that none of them hurled right then and there.

"Uiharu!" Saten softly cried out, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl when she noticed that Uiharu was about to fall down to the ground. Uiharu fell into Saten's embrace, her laptop clattering down onto the ground as her hands clenched the girl's shirt. She was scared.

Mikoto didn't blame her, she was just as scared as the rest of them. "Uiharu, Saten," She said, earning a glance from both of them, though Uiharu barely heard her, "stay here." She said before turning back and moving towards the edge of the alley, Kuroko right behind her despite having been facing the wall with her hand over her mouth not a moment before.

Mikoto held her hand up, stopping Kuroko as she peered out from the alley.

Instantly, her eyes were filled with rows upon rows of alien corpses, many of them the smaller ones mixed in with a smaller amount of the bird-like ones, and here and there, she spotted a mangled corpse of the _big _aliens. Within the corpses was the smoking wreckage of some large vehicle that sat right up against a crumbled building that was half collapsed on it. Then, she saw the aliens that were standing up further away; small aliens, bird-like aliens with glowing shields, the big aliens, and... two _massive _creatures that carried huge shields on their left arm and were firing some kind of cannon that was their right hand. The aliens all had their backs to them and were shooting from a broken, charred line of sandbags and barricades across the street at another line of barricades. Two flaming wrecks were in between the lines, the remains of what she guessed were some kind of light, military vehicles.

"Kuroko," Mikoto said as she looked past the aliens and saw in places human corpses, too far away out for her to see the details of their death; and, further out, she saw live humans amongst the second line of barricades, returning fire at the aliens that fired at them, "we found them..." One of the massive creatures lumbered forward, bringing its cannon to bear that glowed a bright green before a large bolt of plasma flew out of it and blew a hole into the side of a building, sending a soldier down onto the ground.

"Onee-sama..." Kuroko looked up at Mikoto away from the firefight, a grenade in her hand. Her eyes said it all; they had to help them.

Mikoto nodded, taking an arcade token out from her pocket. "I'll take out those big guys with the cannons; Kuroko, take care of the other guys. Try to scatter them." Kuroko nodded and got ready as Mikoto looked back at Uiharu and Saten. Uiharu was sitting down on the ground with her laptop against her chest, breathing in and out slowly as Saten comforted her. "Uiharu, Saten, stay here and keep down."

"I'll be up on the roof." Kuroko informed them before vanishing from view.  
"Right!" Mikoto called back to her before starting to make her way out into the street.

"Misaka!" Mikoto looked back, catching sight of Saten standing up, the rifle held securely in her grip. "I can help." She stated, clear determination not only in her voice but also burning in her eyes.

Mikoto looked into them and smiled. "Right, take care of Uiharu."  
Saten gave an energetic nod before Mikoto ran off into the street.

The first explosion sounded out as a group of 'birdies' blew up, the second explosion caught one of the big guys with a group of the small guys, and more explosions caught more groups. Mikoto lined up with the first creature, electricity flowing down her arms as she aimed at it, not caring to flip the coin. "Take this!" She cried out right before an explosive power ripped a line into the asphalt and sent her railgun straight into the creature's exposed back, orange blood flying out as it toppled over, its cannon going off as it fell and blowing a huge gash into its partner which staggered before another _CRACK _sent a bullet through its head and ended its life.

The sequence of explosives stopped, the smoke clearing and revealing the survivors of Kuroko's bombing. Most of the survivors were the big guys, a few birdies, and some of the small guys; altogether, there was probably about three dozen survivors. Mikoto narrowed her eyes, charging her current, ready to electrocute any of them that tried to continue to fight; she was hesitant to do so, as she hoped that they would just run away.

* * *

Ruiko knelt down on the ground, holding the rifle in her hands carefully. She wanted to help just like Misaka and Shirai were doing; and, this time, she could. She lifted the rifle up, aiming with the much-needed help of the reticule and the scope and looked for one of the small aliens. "The one in white looks important." Uiharu told her, shifting the longer-haired girl's attention to a group of the aliens that were regrouping. It looked like it was barking out orders, though it could just as well have been barking out 'let's all run away together!'.

"Right." She placed the reticule across its head, steadying her breath and aim as she eased her finger on the trigger. It fired a round, kicked back into her shoulder, and lifted up in recoil. She grimaced, nearly crying out at the now throbbing pain in her shoulder; she hadn't thought about it doing that!

"Saten-san, you did it!" At Uiharu's surprised, slightly energetic voice, Ruiko looked up. The alien she had shot was on the ground, its comrades running around in circles with their arms in the air.  
"Yeah..." She pushed past the pain and lifted the rifle up again. "Hey, Uiharu, are there anymore?" She asked, running the reticule over the broken line of alien soldiers, ignoring the pain in her shoulder.

Uiharu looked at her friend, blinking in confusion before a look of understanding passed through her eyes. "Right!" She turned back, scanning the aliens for anymore of the small white guys.

Shirai appeared behind them, most of her grenades now gone through she still kept a couple on her person. "Onee-sama!" She cried out to Misaka who still stood out in the middle of the street, grabbing the brunette's attention. Misaka nodded in response and started heading back their way, but the lumbering beast she had shot down was getting back up onto its feet.

_My railgun wasn't enough!? _A panicked thought entered Mikoto's head as she looked at the creature. It steadied itself and spun around, its cannon pointed directly at her.

"Onee-sama!"

* * *

Wayne loaded a fresh clip into his battle rifle, a clip taken from Smith's nearby corpse, and popped over cover, firing a burst at a Grunt and catching sight of the Hunter directly behind it, charging its fuel rod and aiming directly at him. Before he could push off from the ground and go running for a farther back barricade, there was a brilliant flash of blue and something _ripped _through the air and burst a good-sized hole into the Hunter's midsection. The walking, armored tank fell down to the ground, its gun going off and catching its partner in the back, tearing an even larger hole into its midsection.

Another _CRACK _split the air, revealing Hocking's new position on top of a rather small building as he finished the injured Hunter off. _"Hunters are down, el-tee!" _Before Wayne could even begin to wonder just what had happened, frag grenades started going off one by one within the Covenant's ranks, shearing apart their formation amongst the first line of barricades.

"Oorah!" Wayne shouted, a big grin spreading across his lips. "Lieutenant, what did you do!? Hahaha! Nice work!" He then switched to addressing his platoon. "Alright, ladies and gents, let's take 'em out!"  
_"Lieutenant, that wasn't me." _Came Saionji's voice._  
_"It wasn't? Well then, who did _that_!?" Wayne asked, confused.  
_"No clue; but the Covenant are confused, take this chance and fire everything you've got!"  
_

"Gladly! Platoon, get to it!"  
_"Yes sir!" _Came the resounding cries.  
"Focus on the Jackals! Don't let them reform their shield wall! Hocking, get those Elites!"  
_"That was my last shot, sir."  
_"The others?" Wayne asked, referring to the three other company snipers, who were all long dead.  
_"Empty." _That meant he'd already taken what they had left.  
"Then use your magnum! Just take those hinge-heads out!" Wayne shouted before firing at an Elite that dived for cover after nearly having its shields blown clean off.

The same Elite Wayne had been shooting at found a knife in its throat as soon as it clambered onto its feet. 1st Lieutenant Saionji kicked the Major down onto the ground, sheathing his knife as he surveyed the Covenant line. Grunts were running all over the place while Jackals fended for themselves; the Elites were doing much better, as they had found their cover once more and were fighting with everything they had.

As he looked around, he spotted a Hunter getting back up onto its feet, the same Hunter that had blasted a hole into its partner. As he lifted his MA5B up, it spun around and aimed at something behind it. Looking farther back, the lieutenant was met with the sight of a civilian in the middle of the road. _No! _He pulled the trigger, running out of the alley, charging the Hunter as he fired quick, short bursts of fire.

* * *

Bullets slammed against the creature's armored side, a lucky two catching it in its exposed neck, or head. Giving a roar, the behemoth swung its cannon around to face its aggressor, Mikoto catching sight of a black-armored figure rushing the massive alien. The alien charged forward, bringing its shield up high, intending to crush the soldier like a pestering bug; however, the soldier dived off to the side as it brought its shield slamming down into the ground, the man coming up behind the alien.

**"Get out of here!"** A man's voice cried out in English, the soldier taking a shotgun off of his back and firing it one-handed into the creature's hole in its back. It roared even louder, swinging is shield around in a wide arc, the man barely dodging it in time.

Mikoto, however, had no intention of running away. Electricity sparked around her body as she waited for an opening, but with how much the soldier had to move to dodge the creature's attacks, she couldn't risk hitting him. Then, for a moment, the alien jerked; right after that, Kuroko appeared beside the man before teleporting them both away. An explosion then engulfed the creature, splattering orange blood everywhere.

"She's safe..." Kazari breathed from where she stood behind Saten-san who watched the alien explode, the girls both jumping at the sight and sound. Before Kazari could recover, she spotted a movement of white out of her peripheral vision. "Saten-san, there! The fifth alley down on the right!"

Saten-san followed Kazari's instructions and saw one of the mandible-mouths, a big white-armored one. She took a deep breath as she sighted on it. "Got it!" She was a bit hesitant to fire the gun again, as her shoulder still protested the idea; but she _would_ do this. She pulled the trigger, ready for the kickback and keeping her eyes on the figure. Blue light bathed it, and it looked straight at her.

Kazari's eyes widened. "Saten!" The alien quickly lifted its rifle as Kazari moved to shove the stunned girl down onto the ground; at that instant, another _CRACK _split the air. Before she was tackled by Kazari, Saten-san saw the alien drop down to the ground.

* * *

"Hocking!" Wayne called out as he heard the crack of a sniper rifle. "I thought you were out of ammo!"  
_"That wasn't me, sir!"  
_"Then who?"  
_"12th building down on the left, rooftop; but I've got nothing! There's nothing there, lieutenant!"  
_"Someone just shot somebody!"  
_"There's no one there!"_

Wayne grumbled something under his breath as he popped up over cover only to get forced back down a moment later by plasma fire. "Doesn't matter! Just keep shooting!"

* * *

As soon as Kuroko appeared in the same alleyway that Uiharu and Saten were in, the soldier at her side fell down, but quickly rolled up onto his knee and scanned the area with his shotgun. Before she could wonder what the two other girls were doing, Uiharu suddenly cried out Saten's name as a _CRACK_ split the air and tackled her to the ground. At the noise, the soldier sprang forward, bringing his shotgun up as he stood at the edge of the alley, only to lower it and look up at a smoke trail hanging in the air.

He then turned back, kneeling down next to the two girls on the ground. **"Are you hurt?" **He was speaking in English, a language that Kuroko recognized easily. Before she could approach the man who was helping her friends back up onto their feet, Mikoto came running over.

"Hey, Uiharu, Saten!" Her Onee-sama called out, heading into the safety of the alley. "What happened? Are you okay?" She asked, concern in her voice as she came to a stop in front of them. Uiharu nodded while Saten simply said "yeah". Mikoto smiled at them, and that was when the soldier joined in.

"Japanese?" Instead of English, the man was now speaking in fluent Japanese. Mikoto jumped at the sound of his voice, having had forgotten about him for a moment there.

Before Mikoto could speak, Kuroko stepped up to him. "What is going on here?" She asked, staring into the black visor that stared right back at her. She badly needed to know just where they were, and just what was up with all of these killer aliens!

The man studied her for a moment before speaking up. "The Covenant is what's happening." He grabbed a couple of shells from a pouch on his belt, placing them in the gun as he spoke. "Keep your heads down and stay here; we've got to secure this position before we can safely EVAC you." He pulled the pump and turned back, starting to head out of the alley as Kuroko reached out a hand to stop him.

Across the street, standing next to the body of a dead Ultra, was a Covenant Major holding a fuel rod gun at his position. "Dow-" He started to cry out right before a slug _slammed_ into its chest, tearing a hole straight through and dropping the Elite. Saionji's head snapped to the side, the man catching sight of three Warthogs barreling down the road. **"Reinforcements!" **He yelled out over the radio to the 2nd before replacing his M90 with his MA5B. "Stay here!" He called back to Kuroko and the others before moving down to the next alley, firing at the remaining Jackals as a Warthog's machine gun erupted and sprayed into the Covenant's line, the bullets finding new homes in the bodies of Grunts and Jackals alike. Hypersonic slugs decimated the Elites that still held the line, and though the others were already running away, they only fought with more vigor than before.

As Kuroko looked out of the alley at the passing vehicles, the only one without a turret came to a halt in front of their alley. All four passengers disembarked, one catching a stray bolt in the shoulder and crying out as one hurried over to him and another started taking shots at the aliens with a rifle just like the one Saten had brought along. The driver took out his pistol and added his fire to the other soldier's as the fourth and final marine came running over to them.

**"Civvies, listen up!" **He called out in English, looking over at them as he kept his rifle lifted up towards the aliens. **"We're here to bring you back to headquarters! We've got no time to waste, so climb in!" **He suddenly snapped his head back towards the aliens, firing a short burst from his rifle as one of the soldiers on the other side of the vehicle cried out in pain. **"Tann, you still alive?"  
"Gah! Needle, man! Freaking needle! Amar, Bio-Foam, now!"**

Kuroko, Mikoto, Uiharu, and Saten all shared a look, each wondering if they should go ahead and go with them, save for Saten who hadn't understood anything. Before Kuroko could speak her thoughts, a loud cry rang out from the soldiers in front of them. **"PHANTOM!" **Kuroko looked up into the sky, her eyes widening at the sight of a large, purple craft hovering over the buildings. A turret on the underside of it swung around and pointed directly at them; however, before it could open fire, a burst of lightning slammed into it, blue and purple flame flying as the turret blew up. **"Whoa, what was that!?" **The soldier in front of them exclaimed, looking back and catching the sparks of electricity flying about her Onee-sama. Before he could wonder just what was going on, the ship's doors opened up and a squad of alien soldiers glared down at the soldiers and the girls.

That was when the missiles struck, rocking the Phantom violently and sending it swerving, only for the missiles to fly straight into its troop bay and catch its passengers. Blood, gore, and limbs splattered the bay as another round of missiles struck and sent it skidding across a rooftop before plummeting down into the next street over, flames rising over the buildings as it blew up.

**"Pelicans!"  
"Delta Company!? What are they doing here!"  
"The _Waysider's _back, man! Oorah!"  
**

Kuroko watched as four aircraft came into view, looking highly familiar to the one that had crashed when they had first arrived, only _not _blown up. Mounted machine guns opened up, only cutting off when they lowered down to the ground, the rear two lowering tanks as bays opened up and more soldiers spilled out. The dropships lifted up once their cargo was unloaded, providing aerial cover as the new arrivals joined the 2nd Platoon.

**"Secure the area! Don't let a single covie get away!"  
"First Squad right flank, Second Squad take the left! The rest of you with me!"**

* * *

Lieutenant Wayne clasped hands with the platoon leader, 1st Lieutenant K. Drake. The firefight was finally over, the Covenant dead, and the wounded being loaded up; to say he was happy was an understatement. "I see that the _Waysider _finally lost that frigate, huh?" He was grinning like a big fool, but he didn't care. "Sure glad you made it, too bad we didn't leave much for you."

"There was barely anything left to shoot, just a couple of stubborn Elites." She drew him closer, a smirk on her face. "By the way, the flyboys took that frigate down. It's just a smoking hull now."

Wayne's eyes widened. "That things at least a kilo! How'd they manage to do that!?"  
"Let's just say that Ballast has a new highest mountain, Wayne."  
"Man, what _did_ you do!?"

Drake laughed, drawing away. "Thank the admiral! He came up with that crazy idea! Tell ya the details back at HQ." She winked, and before they could talk more, a marine called out to her, his voice urgent. "You better get going, lieutenant. Duty calls." She nodded, and with a word of parting to each other, they broke off, Drake heading over to the marine as Wayne headed off to the birds that were loading his guys up. On his way back, he caught sight of Lieutenant Saionji over with the four civilians that the ODST had found. Before he could wonder what was up with the civvies, Hocking came running up to him.

"So, let me get this straight," Saionji began, eyeing the four girls in front of him, the longhaired one now free of the helmet and rifle she had had up until this point, "you all came from an 'Academy City' because of some teleportation thing; and, after checking out our crashed Pelican, you found out about the 2nd's situation and set off to help them, while not knowing anything about what was going on."

"That is correct." Kuroko stated, her voice laced with a small amount of irritation after all the explaining that they had been doing the past ten minutes; but, it finally looked like the man was starting to get it.

"And you're Espers." He stated, his voice sounding like he believed it but still found the entire idea incredibly hard to comprehend. However, after a few sparks from Mikoto and Kuroko teleporting behind him (where he had nearly drawn his pistol on her), he no longer had any choice but to believe them. Him and every other marine that had gawked at their demonstration.

"Well, I'm just a Level 0..." Saten said, scratching the back of her head as she smiled at him.  
"And I'm only a Level 1..." Uiharu softly added, her cheeks shaded a light red.

Saionji nodded at the two of them before he looked to Kuroko, the redhead able to make direct eye contact since his visor was now depolarized. "Then here we have a Level 4 Teleporter, which would explain how the Covenant started spontaneously blowing up. Then, there's you..." His eyes landed on Mikoto's own. "A Level 5... Electromaster?"

Before Mikoto could say anything, Kuroko stepped forward, her tone one of pure pride. "Ranked _3rd _amongst the only seven Level 5s in Academy City: Misaka Mikoto, the one and only Railgun, my Onee-sama." Along with her pride was a bit of arrogance, and quite a lot of affection laced in the ending word.  
"Kuroko..." Mikoto muttered in slight embarrassment and annoyance, though it went unheard.

The man sighed, presenting his side to the girls as he looked over at a woman that had been arguing over the Warthog's, as they came to know the big cat-like vehicles as, radio with someone on the other end. "Well, I don't care if you're Espers or wizards, you're still human and you're still civilians. We'll sort everything out back at the base, but right now, we've got a problem."

"What's happening?" Uiharu asked, noticing the change of mood and stances amongst the soldiers. Orders started being barked out and they doubled their pace, two squads moving past alongside the two tanks that had been dropped off earlier, heading into the city. Wounded were being quickly loaded up on the two Pelicans that had stayed behind, whereas the other two had already left ten minutes prior.

The woman slammed the transmitter down, muttered something, and came jogging over to them at a brisk pace. **"Lieutenant, we've got a battalion of Covenant moving in from the north-west, supported by armor and air. They're throwing everything they've got at us. We've got to move now or they'll overrun the position!"**

**"HQ just informed me, sergeant. We better get these girls out of here, with the** **wounded." **Saionji's visor polarized, becoming completely black on the outside.**  
"Agreed."  
**

The sergeant stepped towards the girls, taking her helmet off and holding it in her hands as she addressed them. **"Civvies, listen up, we're flying you back to headquarters while we go kick some alien butt, you hear? We were supposed to bring you back by hog, but situation's changed; you'll be safe, though, the flyboys know their stuff." **She looked behind her, catching sight of a marine with a bandage around his upper arm. **"Malcolm, get over here!"**

The marine, Malcolm, looked up at the sound of her voice and hurried over, cradling an assault rifle in his hands. **"Ma'am?"  
**She frowned. **"Where's Tann? Amar?"  
****"Tann took a needle to the leg." **He gestured over to one of the Pelicans.  
**"You've got to be- Again?" **He shrugged. **"And Amar?"  
"She's helping out with the wounded."  
****"Good, then you and Amar get these girls back to HQ safe and sound aboard one of those Pelicans, copy?"  
"Yes ma'am!"**

Malcolm stepped towards the girls, gesturing to the same Pelican as before. **"Girls, come with me, we're getting you out of here."**

Kuroko nodded after a moment, looking up at Mikoto who was standing next to her. "Onee-sama?" Mikoto smiled at her, nodding her head before looking over and calling out to Uiharu and Saten.  
"We better get going." She said, smiling at the other two girls as Malcolm started forward.

Uiharu took a quick step forward, getting Malcolm's attention. **"Please take good care of us." **She said, earning a smile from the soldier who suddenly felt a lot more important.  
**"I'll get you there safe and sound!" **He exclaimed, grinning big as he started leading the way, the girls following him.

Mikoto, as she walked past Saionji and the sergeant, couldn't help but stop at their conversation.

**"Ops reported multiple Wraiths, eight of them to be exact, intermixed with the infantry; not just Wraiths, either, we've got at _least _five pairs of Hunters in the front with three, maybe four, Banshees providing aerial cover. Not to mention they've got, at most, three hundred hinge-heads! It's their entire base!" **She placed her helmet back on, leaning forward, speaking softer. **"They're going to break through in the first ten minutes, even if we hit their flanks with everything we've got."**

Saionji was silent for a few seconds before finally speaking up. **"We've got to try. They'll stop and fight anything, so as long as we get there before they overrun the 2nd and 3rd squads' position, we can hold them back."**

**"Then we'll be the ones to get blown to smithereens; even _if_ we hold them, we're going to take _massive _casualties." **She sighed, leaning back. **"If we can just take those mortar tanks out early in-game, then things will be a lot easier."  
"Easier said than done."**

"Onee-sama?" Mikoto looked up, over at Kuroko who was now several meters away, having just realized that Mikoto hadn't been walking with them. She looked back at the redhead, not saying anything before looking down at her hand, her electrical current running along it. Her ability is innately destructive, and with her level, it became one of the most destructive powers in Academy City. Destructive enough to just about destroy anything she wanted to...

But, she could also protect with her power... Protect her friends. If those aliens broke through, if the soldiers weren't able to hold them back, they'd be coming for them, for her friends and everyone else that was here and back at 'headquarters'. She didn't want that to happen, she couldn't _let_ that happen.

**"Lieutenant..." **Mikoto began, catching the two soldiers' attention. **"I want to help." **She looked back at them, looking between the woman's eyes and the man's visor. Blue sparks of electricity danced around her body, emphasizing her point and capability. If she could do something, anything, then she had to do it. **"I don't want my friends to be in danger, so-"**

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko appeared by her side, the redhead's hands quickly grasping her shoulders. "What are you saying!? It's too dangerous, you could get killed!"

"Kuroko..." Mikoto smiled, placing her hand on Kuroko's shoulders, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "If they don't stop these guys, then we're going to be the ones in danger. I don't want to see you," She looked past Kuroko, meeting two sets of worried eyes, "Uiharu, or Saten get hurt. So, if there's something I can do to help..." She let her voice trail off, the determination in her eyes saying the rest.

"Misaka-san...!" Uiharu softly exclaimed, but couldn't find more words. She just couldn't believe that Mikoto was really offering to help these soldiers, even after all that they had just seen. This is a war, a bloody, dangerous war! How can... she do this?

"Misaka..." Saten muttered, but just as she looked like she was going to say something, she tenderly nodded her head and smiled. She hadn't caught what the brunette had been saying in English, but she heard enough just now and saw enough to understand what was going on. "Yeah! Fry some alien butt!" She exclaimed, grinning big and wide, forcing herself to be as cheerful as ever.

"Onee-" Mikoto's hand tightened, just a little, around Kuroko's shoulder, cutting her off. The teleporter looked into her eyes, and saw that Mikoto wasn't going to back down. She was determined to protect her friends, no matter what, and Kuroko was forced to hang her head in defeat.

"Keep the others safe, okay?" She gave the girl a gentle smile.  
"...Yes, Onee-sama." Kuroko nodded. "Come back soon."  
"I will."

Kuroko turned back to Uiharu and Saten, walking away from Mikoto to join the two girls. "Let's go..." She said, Uiharu taking one last look at Mikoto before hurrying to keep pace with Kuroko. Malcolm watched with confusion written all over his face and was looking over at the sergeant on what to do, but when a voice over his helmet ordered him to continue on with the three girls, he did so.

The woman took a step towards Mikoto, an unpleasant expression on her face. **"Look, girl, I'm not going to let a kid fight our battle for us even if she can shoot lightning willy-nilly and fire some hypersonic coin like an M68."**

Mikoto just glanced back at her. **"I can take those tanks out."  
"You don't even know what a Wraith looks like."  
"It doesn't matter what they look like! I'm just going to blow them all up!"  
"Before or after searing hot plasma melts your skin off?"  
**

Before Mikoto could say anything back to her, Saionji stepped forward. **"Sergeant, HQ just informed me that the Covenant Destroyer that was hanging back is breaking orbit and forcing the _Waysider_ off."**

The sergeant turned on him, wide-eyed. **"What!? Just great! We're not going to have any air support!"  
"That's right."  
**As one, they both turned their head towards Mikoto. **"Sir..."  
"I know, but if what I saw is just a fraction of her power..."  
**

They shared another look and both nodded. **"Well, girl, looks like today's your unlucky day." **The sergeant turned and looked over at one of the Warthogs. **"Cook, Ryan, get over here!"**

* * *

**Recon Force Bravo**

"Ikuto, you ready for this?" Private First Class Maverick asked as the team's sniper climbed into the passenger seat, the man checking the sights on his rifle before answering.  
"Affirmative. You, sarge?" Corporal Ikuto asked, looking back up at the woman on the turret.

"I still can't believe we've got a kid with us..." Sergeant Major Stacker muttered, even though she had submitted to the girl and Lieutenant Saionji only moments ago. She shook her head and eyed Ikuto. "Yeah, I'm ready to die." She looked behind her to the passenger hog behind them. "Cook, Ryan, you two better look out after that girl or I'll have your heads!"

"Yes ma'am!" The two marines, Cook, the driver, and Ryan, the back passenger, answered with raised, half-mocking salutes. It was how they always treated her: half-heartedly. Stacker spat at them before looking over at Harris and Nance in the Gauss Hog, barking out orders to them.

The sergeant had already briefed the entire team, but that 'briefing' mostly consisted of: "look, she's some girl who can make tanks go boom with lightning. Cook, run her over the basics and go kill some Wraiths." Cook just took it all in stride; he's just a grunt, so if the sarge said go kill Wraiths with a lightning storm riding in his passenger seat, he'd go and kill some Wraiths.

"Want me to go over it again?" Cook asked as the Warthogs started forward, Maverick taking the lead with Harris following in the back while they got to stay in the middle.

Mikoto had been looking around, studying the Warthog's interior when Cook spoke. She looked back at him and answered. "The small ones are 'Grunts', cannon fodder, right? Then the birds are 'Jackals', marksmen and aliens with pesky shields?" He had told her about them, and had added in his own little comments. "Big, tall, and ugly are the Elites, or hinge-heads. They're the guys in charge, some kind of warriors, and they have even peskier shields that cover their entire body."

"Yep! Some of the higher ranked guys have energy swords, like Ultras (the white guys) and up. But there's also these black guys, special operations, and they have some kind of cloaking unit. Very deadly, but they don't show up often, thankfully."

"Then there's the big, walking, armored tanks, 'Hunters'?"  
"Yeah, they're a blast. They take a lot, they dish out a lot; you don't want to get in close with one."

Mikoto nodded in answer, watching as the team rounded a corner, moving through a line of cars. One was in their path, but Maverick simply plowed through it, knocking it off to the side as she kept on going. "Tell me about the Wraiths."

"Deadly, very deadly. Huge blast radius; but they're slow, cumbersome, and have a weak spot in the very back. You'll want to take them out quickly, the heat travels fast; oh, and they've got manned, anti-personnel turrets in the front. Also, watch out for the Banshees, they're nimble and swift; if you see them, shoot them down. We shouldn't have to worry about any Ghosts, and the Wraiths are all the armor they've got after what the ODSTs did to them."

"ODSTs?"

"Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. Lovely guys in black suits of armor that like to drop down from orbit; they're our special forces. Saionji and the rest of them went over and blew up half of the Covenant's base some time back, but he's the only one that made it back."

"Right..." Mikoto looked away from Cook and watched as they flew down an empty street. _I'm going to go and fight aliens... _It was dangerous, but there was a feeling of _excitement _crawling underneath her skin. This is a new foe, a new challenge, and she didn't have to worry about holding back. She could let it all out, her full power. It actually sounded... a bit fun.

How wrong she'd be.

* * *

**Artificial Intelligence Cole**

_Something isn't right._

_First the Banshee, then the Ultra. A sniper both times; the same sniper. Just who has been watching over that group of girls? There was no other UNSC presence in that area other than 1st Lieutenant Saionji and the 2nd Platoon. The first shot came from the army's Team Alpha's position, so the sniper likely picked up their rifle and continued on to follow the girls. But why? For what reason?_

_Is there a marine out there on his own? An ODST? Army Trooper? Maybe even a militia or just a civilian... No, that wouldn't explain why there was nothing at the location of the second shot. I checked that position immediately following the shot; so, in the 1.5 seconds it had taken to find the origin and turn the surveillance cameras, did the sniper vanish?_

_Concerning the ONI prowler in orbit, it's possible that they have an operative about. _

_Possibly a Spartan?_

_If so, then why? Why here?_

_Even if they did have an operative groundside, why would he be shadowing these four girls?_

_..._

_There is insufficient information to come to a conclusion._

"Cole, how is the progress on our tanks?" Captain Prock asked as she watched the holographic image of the Covenant battalion that was coming down upon them.  
"They will reach minimum-efficiency within half-an-hour, captain. There was a minor setback."  
"And if they focused on just one tank at a time?"  
"Twenty-three minutes."

Prock frowned, her hands forming into fists.

"Ma'am!" An officer cried out. "The Covenant have reached Checkpoint Charlie! 2nd and 3rd squads are engaging, but taking heavy fire!"  
Major Tachibana looked at the map, noticing the positioning of the Wraiths. "Captain, Wraiths are moving into a firing line. The barrage will wipe our men out; we have to pull them back."  
Lieutenant Cagle shook his head. "They can't pull back now, otherwise they'll get shot in the back."

"Hold the line!" Prock cried out to the officer; the two squads are doomed either way, she knew it, and she hated it.  
"Wait! Charlie and Delta Company have reached the combat zone! They're engaging the enemy flanks; Recon Force Bravo is hitting the Wraiths from behind! They've got special artillery!"

Prock watched as the two companies lined up on either side of the large field that was the battlefield, using the rubble as cover for their squads and tanks. A platoon from each headed over to help secure the 1st and 2nd's position while the rest caught the Covenant in a crossfire. Then, one by one, four Wraiths went up in flames before their holograms cut out.

"Lieutenant," Prock spoke, addressing the officer, "what kind of special artillery does Bravo have?"

* * *

**CPV-Class Heavy Destroyer ****_Ultimate Salvation_**

"The human's frigate has left the field. They will not face us in open battle."  
"As expected."  
"Shall we pursue? Perhaps they shall regain their courage."  
"No, the shipmaster has spoken his orders. We shall only frighten the frigate till it runs and then hold here to await his return. There will be no vengeance for the _Conviction_, for they have followed their own path along the Great Journey."

The Sangheili Major was silent for a few seconds before he spoke up again from his post. "Field Marshall 'Sumee and his forces assault the city, attempting to break through the humans' defenses."  
"So they do."  
"Let us join him, then. Much honor and glory is to be found in combat against the humans. Many are worthy warriors."  
"We are not to interfere, neither has 'Sumee requested our assistance. We shall await the return of the shipmaster, and we shall do no more."

The Major finally submitted. "Yes, vice-shipmaster."

* * *

The Warthogs rounded the last corner and came to a stop, allowing Mikoto to see the extent of the north-west area. As far as she could see it was all dirt and rubble, only the buildings in the far distance and around her reminding her that they were still in a city. It looked like something had blown a crater into the middle of it, as the ground slopped downwards towards the center of the field. Then she saw something else amongst the dirt and rubble.

Scattered around, barely visible here and there, were weapons and body parts, adding to the carnage. Limbs stuck up out of the rubble, some of which weren't always connected, and discarded weapons laid covered in dirt or broken into many smaller pieces. Then, the stench hit her; the stench of rotting flesh. It overwhelmed her senses in one fell swoop, and she couldn't keep herself from heaving.

"Whoa! _Not_ in the hog!" Cook cried out, watching as Mikoto vomited over the side of the vehicle. His expression softened and he laid his hand on her back, patting softly. Ryan looked back at them and tossed his canteen over to the marine, Cook catching it with his free hand. "Here." He said, holding it out to her once she was finished.

Mikoto gingerly took it, sipping slowly from it to get the taste out of her mouth. The stench made her eyes water, and made her want to heave more, but there was nothing she could do about it. She forced the water down her throat and looked up at Cook. "What... happened here?"

The man frowned and looked ahead, his eyes narrowing. "A week ago Alpha Company touched down to assist the army with the evacuation of civilians, and they all got surrounded by a ton of Covenant dogs. There was nothing anyone could do, and they were all killed. Every last one of them. Only a few army guys got away from it. When Alpha's last man went down, one of our ships bombarded the area with a MAC blast, completely wiping out two-thirds of the Covenant forces around here."

Mikoto's eyes widened, the girl lowering the canteen from her lips and looking at the hard expression in his eyes. An entire company... gone? She didn't know what to say, _if _there was something she could say... She ended up not saying anything, the silence only being broken when the Warthog's radio burst to life.

_"Sundae Driver, Splatter Spree, this is Jefferson. Charlie and Delta Company are opening fire and diverting the covies' attention away from us. Sundae Driver, we'll be the distraction for those Wraiths, so hurry up and take 'em! Move out!"  
_"Copy that, Jefferson." Cook said into the radio, accelerating as he called out to Mikoto over the sounds of battle that filled the air. "Girl, summon up a lightning storm or whatever, we're moving in!"

"Right!" Mikoto answered, rising up onto her feet, one hand clasping the middle bar of the hog as she used her ability to keep one foot rooted to the hog, doing the same with her hand, while she raised the other foot up onto the seat. Electricity sparked about as she readied herself; and, to prevent unwanted accidents to the Warthog, she kept it focused around her right arm.

_"Take care of your Esper, Sundae."  
_"Will do, Splatter Spree."

On their half of the field, Delta's half, one Wraith had already been downed by two Scorpions; but their position had then been met with return fire, the two mortars catching over two dozen marines in their opening salvo. The fourth Wraith carried on downwards, heading towards the 2nd and 3rd squads. On the other side of the field, Charlie took out one Wraith but the other three opened fire, catching one of their three Scorpions and severely damaging the other, which was then finished off as two pairs of Hunters joined the fray. A single pair engaged Delta, damaging one of the Scorpions before the marines took one Hunter out with rockets and sniper fire only for its bond-brother to go charging into their lines.

"Time to shine, Lightning!" Cook shouted as they neared the Wraiths, entering the trailing masses of infantry that were temporarily caught off guard by their sudden entrance, which resulted in some light-blue blood smearing the windshield. The other two hogs had broken off and were drawing the attention of one of the Wraiths, allowing Mikoto a view of the back where there was a small, rotating cylinder. Obviously the weak spot of the tank. Lightning crackled along her arm and she let it fly, it slamming into the Wraith with deadly force. The explosion was near blinding and instantaneous, causing many nearby infantry to stumble in surprise.

"I've never seen a Wraith go up like that!" Cook shouted out in glee, turning the Warthog and slamming into a distracted Elite, knocking it back and allowing Ryan to gun it down. "Next one!"  
"Oorah, girl! Oorah!" Ryan shouted, adding in his own praise.

Jefferson and Splatter Spree continued on, Jefferson gunning down infantry as Splatter Spree opened up on the second Wraith. The driver had been greatly distracted by the first Wraith's sudden demise and he took a few seconds before he responded to the attack; but his attention was too diverted to notice Cook driving by behind him. "Now!" Mikoto stood up taller before sending her attack flying, the lightning slamming into the Wraith just like before, and an explosion, as brilliant as the last, blinded nearby infantry, preventing them from firing on the team of Warthogs.

This time, though, the Elites recovered quickly and started opening fire. Ryan did as much as he could with his rifle, but with over two dozen of the aliens actively chasing them or in their way, there was little he could do by himself. Fortunately, Jefferson came around, trailing behind Sundae Driver with its machine gun blazing and sniper rifle gunning down Elites in single shots. Splatter Spree continued on ahead, angling towards the fourth Wraith farther across the field; the third Wraith was too far in the thick ranks of infantry.

As plasma bolts started slamming into the Warthog, a Grunt directly in the path of them took out grenades in both of his hands, lighting them. "Suicider!" Cook spun off to the right, but the Grunt was ready to throw one of the grenades.

Ryan dropped his rifle to the floor and drew his magnum, standing up as he braced against and on the railing. Aiming with one hand at the Grunt, he fired, the round exploding inside of the alien's head, both plasma grenades dropping to the ground. Then the hog hit a bump and he nearly fell out, only managing to hold on with his hand that grasped the railing. "You trying to kill me!?" He cried out as he sat back down, holstering his sidearm and loading a fresh clip into his rifle.

"You do a good job of that yourself!"  
"Whatever, man!"

Mikoto was forced down into her seat as a dozen Grunts in front of them opened up on her side, the girl sending out crackling snakes of electricity that slammed all around them, scattering them and fatally electrocuting half of them. "Lightning, back to work!" Cook called out as they neared the fourth Wraith, prompting Mikoto to stand back up in her seat to get a better angle. Just as she was doing this, though, the Wraith swerved around, pointing directly at them.

Cook went hard right, jolting both Mikoto and Ryan; to their side, Splatter Spree went left, causing the slightest hesitation of who to shoot at for the operator before he just fired anyways. Both hogs were able to get away from the blast zone, Splatter Spree opening up with its M68 as the tank kept turned towards them. "Take the shot!" Cook cried out, Mikoto standing back up and facing the Wraith. Just as she was about to let loose, a plasma bolt hit close enough to her hand on the bar that she could feel her skin burning. She cried out and lost focus, the lightning strike going too far down and completely missing the tank.

The Wraith, instead of shooting at the Gauss hog, boosted forward, nearly ramming the surprised marines. It followed up with a quick mortar round, which the hog just barely managed to avoid, though the intense heat managed to melt the paint off and disfigure the side of the vehicle. Before Nance could open fire on the Wraith, the fifth Wraith was speeding out from the ranks of infantry, firing at the same time. Harris didn't see it in time, and Mikoto watched in horror as the two marines and the Warthog went up in a ball of flame.

Horror turned to anger and she cried out, lightning rocketing from her to the fifth Wraith. It slammed right through the Wraith, catching a squad of Grunts and Elites on the other side as the tank detonated, its debris showering the nearby area. As she turned her fury onto the fourth Wraith that angled back towards them, Cook shouted out a warning. "Up high! Banshees!"

Mikoto turned and saw them, her eyes lighting up as did her arm. The alien crafts were swooping down from the sky, approaching fast, before four lightning bolts raced up to meet them. The first Banshee caught three of them, one shearing off its wing, another hitting the side of the belly, and the last hitting it dead center. The second Banshee barely avoided the fourth bolt which sheared off part of its wing, but it continued on through the flames of its partner and prepared to fire on Sundae Driver. It was stopped when two _CRACKs _sounded out, both rounds hitting; one of them shearing through the armor and finding its fuel source. The falling fireball came crashing down right on top of the fourth Wraith, and both burst forth into light, heat, and shrapnel.

"Two more!" Cook called out, looking towards the sixth Wraith farther towards Charlie's line and then looking for the third Wraith that would be farther infield; only, it wasn't there.

_"Cook, watch out!" _The radio cried just as the third Wraith appeared out of the flames and smoke that had been the fourth, its boost propelling it directly at them at a frightening speed. Its gun came to life, and the marine knew there was no way they were going to dodge.

"Bail!" He shouted, shoving a stunned Mikoto out of the passenger seat as Ryan jumped out of the back just as the plasma landed near them, the resulting concussive force flipping the Warthog into the air. Mikoto hit the ground hard, and then everything went black.

* * *

It was a minute until Mikoto came to, the brunette slowly and carefully sitting up, one hand going to her temple as she groaned. Her back ached and there was a bump on the back of her head; but, remembering where she was, she set the discomfort aside and looked around. The first thing she saw was a white Elite that lay beside her, its violet blood flowing down the slight slope, away from her. It had its arm stretched out towards her, but it wasn't alive; looking past it, she saw why.

Ryan was on the ground nearby, his rifle by his side and his magnum lying in a pool of his own blood. They had killed each other, that much was obvious. She hurriedly looked away from him, looking for Cook, desperately hoping he'd be alive. She saw the Warthog, lying on its side with the top facing her, and she caught sight of the Wraith behind it. An orange Elite climbed up into the driver's seat and drove off as she watched. She didn't think about it, not when she saw Cook.

He was crawling out from the Warthog, glancing around and catching her eye. His helmet was gone, allowing Mikoto to better see the relieved expression on his face... that suddenly turned into one of shock. He rolled onto his back, grabbing his sidearm as an Elite walked out from behind the Warthog. It was the tallest one she had seen yet, easily standing at nine foot; and it was also the most elaborate one she had seen. Maroon and blue armor, elegant with gracing curves, especially the two tall shoulder pads. Two, small, demon-like horns were atop its helmet, making it look like some abomination from the depths of hell.

Cook couldn't bring his magnum up in time, the Elite kicking it out of his hand before reaching down and hoisting him up by the neck. He didn't get a chance to struggle, either, before a two-pronged bladed was thrust into his body. He didn't move after that, the Elite sneering at him before throwing his corpse violently off to the side, a low chuckle coming from its throat.

_It... killed him..._

Mikoto could feel her blood run cold as the alien settled its contemptuous gaze onto her. Right before her very eyes, she had seen one's life ended, cut abruptly short, and this alien wouldn't hesitate to do the same to her. _Cook's... dead._ The Elite was in front of her now, gazing into her frightened eyes as it raised its sword back. It didn't even look the least bit guilty about it; the alien just did it without a thought.

_These aliens... murdered them..._

_They murdered them all..._

_This destruction, this death... it's all their fault. All of it!_

**"Pitiful." **Was all the Elite said as it brought its sword down.

The sound was heard all across the battlefield, soldiers looking up into the sky to see the fading blue light of a lightning strike. Out of nowhere, thunder clouds formed, darkening the sky further only for lightning to light them up; as this happened, the body of an Elite Field Marshall fell down to the ground, a hole scorched through his chest as a young girl rose up onto her feet.

Ryan's dead, Cook's dead... who's next? Another soldier, some guy hiding in a shelter, or... one of her friends? No, no! She wouldn't allow that! _Sh_e _couldn't_!

_'Who's next...?'_

She suddenly smiled, a low snickering growing in her throat before she burst into maniacal laughter. _Ah, that's right. _Mikoto stopped laughing, snapping her head out towards the ranks of Covenant Infantry. _Who's next?_

Lightning slammed into the ground all over the field, catching hundreds of soldiers off guard. Dozens of Jackals and Grunts started falling around the impact zones as the currents traveled through their bodies. Elites' shields flared up in response, but some failed their wearer and the bodies started dropping. Lighting struck the three remaining vehicles the Covenant had, the controlled electricity flowing through them and causing them to explode, violently.

Many Grunts started to flee as their squad members and squad leaders dropped by the dozens; and when she saw them, Mikoto narrowed her eyes at them. _Running away, huh? _Lightning slammed into their ranks and they all fell dead; and all through it, Mikoto smiled.

Then she saw it, one single Elite adorned in sleek, silver armor headed right for her. He sprinted past his fallen comrades and continued on through the lightning, quickly closing the distance. She narrowed her eyes at him and lifted her arm, electricity sparking about her and sending a lightning strike directly at him. But, just right before she struck, the Elite dove off to the side, diving more than ten meters and breaking back into a sprint with the utmost of ease, the lightning, and the ground current, completely missing him.

Her smile fell.

_Let's see if he can dodge this, then. _Mikoto took out an arcade token and watched as the Elite unknowingly ran into her range; with him in range, she raised her arm and the coin exploded forward. It blew a line into the ground as it flew straight and true, air knocked aside in its wake; but, the alien had already moved to the side at the moment before she fired. His shields were glowing blue from the shockwave, but his sprint did not falter.

_He dodged!? _Mikoto was getting angry; and, as if to emphasize that, a field of electricity gathered off of her body and she cried out, three lightning strikes leaving the field from her temple and arms. She was rather inaccurate and the Elite managed to dodge them easily. Then he was upon her, slashing horizontally with his sword.

Mikoto fell to the ground, rolling up onto her feet behind him, barely managing to clear the sword which singed her hair. Before she could do anything, he was already turned and was slashing again in one single motion, forcing her onto her back to avoid it. He was then above her, rearing it back; she sent a bolt of electricity up at him, his shields failing and popping as he faltered a step back.

Mikoto had just gotten up onto her feet when he was thrusting the sword at her; she barely managed to step to the side in time, the heat from the bade searing a hole in her uniform. He suddenly flattened the blade out and slashed from the failed thrust, but she was already thirty meters away with her back slamming violently against the Warthog. Mikoto forced herself not to cry out as she stood up from it, her hard eyes landing upon the warrior across from her.

He's fast. She didn't even know _how_ she had managed to dodge his strikes, but somehow she managed. Not only is he fast, but he also has some idea of her power to be able to dodge like that; either that, or he's extremely lucky.

The Elite faced her, oddly not yet charging her, though he seemed ready to break out into a sprint instantly. Mikoto silently growled. and that was when her hand brushed up against the Warthog. She took a look at it and smiled, turning her head to the alien. He was about to charge, until the Warthog lifted off of the ground and into the air, above her head. Then, she let it loose, sending it flying towards him.

The Warthog slammed into the ground, flipping end over end, crossing the thirty meters in a flash. The Elite was a sitting duck; even he wouldn't be able to dodge it in ti- Her eyes widened; for an instant, the alien was on top of the Warthog as it flipped, and then he was jumping into the air, drawing his gun as the vehicle crashed.

A whirlwind of iron sand rose from the ground just as the Elite let loose, plasma slamming into the tornado that surrounded Mikoto. It vaporized the sand, but there was more sand than plasma, and the bolts were all absorbed by the tornado. She couldn't see him through the sand, but she could still sense him. She sent out whips of vibrating sand where he stood, but one after another he dodged them. She was still hampered by not being able to see him.

A warning went off in her head, and she snapped her head up to see a glowing blue orb coming down from the eye of her tornado. She knew what it was; the same thing that the first Elite she saw had detonated, the grenade that had vaporized his body and scorched the surrounding area. Without thinking, she enclosed the sand around it, all of the sand she was controlling; then, it blew up inside of the sand and vaporized every last particle of it.

Leaving her defenseless.

Her legs were suddenly kicked out from under her, Mikoto catching full sight of the alien's head as she slammed down onto the ground. His sword came down, and she rolled to the right. The blades caught her uniform as she rolled, burning or ripping it off as the heat burned a line along her back. She bit back the pain as she jumped up and spun around to face him, only for what passed as his foot to slam into her stomach. She lurched backwards, coughing up blood but managing to keep standing.

Before he could make the next move, she forced herself forward and kicked straight up, catching him off guard by the action. The kick alone did little to his restored shield, but the explosive electricity she let loose from her foot blew the shield and forced him backwards. Mikoto went on the offensive, gathering more sand from the ground all around them into a whip. She sent it flying down into him, the Elite responding by slashing at it with his sword.

He cut the whip short, but she still had control of what he cut off and let it continue upon him. Though slightly scattered, the sand cut into his armor and into his skin; minor, bleeding cuts that did little thanks to her not focusing enough power on the sand after it had been scattered. The Elite looked at her as she gathered the sand back, his hand going to his belt and grabbing another sword, the pronged blade coming to life.

He pushed forward, charging as she swept the sand into a long, horizontal whip that she sent flying towards him. He continued, raising his swords in front of him and the whip and flattening them out, sand vaporizing against the contained plasma and forming a gap in the whip big enough for him to pass through, mostly unharmed save for some cuts along his arms.

Mikoto didn't have time to try again as she was already ducking under the slash aimed at her neck, then the slash for her legs which forced her to crash into the ground. She rolled to avoid the thrust, and had to dodge to the side after he tried to slash her when she attempted to stand. On her feet, finally, another slash headed her way before it suddenly stopped before it could make contact as she magnetized it and locked it in place. The Elite tried to bring his other sword down upon her, but she did the same before it could come close.

_Now-_

He kicked her leg, knocking her down onto her back, his swords coming free. Before he could get on top of her, Mikoto angrily magnetized his armor and sent him flying backwards. He gracefully landed on his feet, skidding to a stop as she got back up. A lightning strike shot down from the clouds and slammed in between them, illuminating each other's face for a brief moment.

_This guy... _Mikoto huffed, panting for breath as sweat rolled down her face. Her body was aching all over, especially her stomach, but she ignored the pain, focusing on her opponent. _He's got to be toying with me! _She growled, glaring hard into his eyes. What infuriated her even more is that he actually looks _calm_. Like he wasn't worried about anything and was doing this all for his own _enjoyment_! Lightning crackled around her as she started forward, only to stop when she sensed more of them.

Mikoto looked behind her and saw five more Elites, two of them wearing white armor and holding energy swords while two others were in orange and the fifth was a blue, those three all wielding different rifles in their hands. _More of them!? _She had had enough aliens for one day. "Get away from me!" She cried out, a whip of iron sand lashing out through them; shields failed and the whip cut through armor, flesh, and bone. They were all sliced into two halves, the halves falling to the ground. Blood, lots of it, poured out of both halves, staining the ground violet.

With those annoyances out of the way, she turned her attention back onto the thorn that was still stuck in her side. The Elite was already halfway to her, having taken advantage of the distraction; she responded by striking out for his legs with the whip, but he jumped high to avoid it, rolling back into his charge as another whip came down behind him. Her breathing became heavier as her face grew into an angry scowl. She lashed out with multiple whips next, but he simply jumped the first one, dived under the second, dodged the third, and squeezed through the double fourth.

He had now closed the distance and was upon her once more after the fourth one. He tried to cut her down with his left sword that she locked in place once again, same with the right that he tried to slash at her. However, she had only locked his swords in place, not his hands, and he had figured that out. His left hand came out from his grip and he grabbed Mikoto by the throat, lifting her up as he hit her in the stomach with his leg before slamming her down onto the ground.

Mikoto couldn't even cry out before he was picking her up by her arm and swinging her, throwing her out away from him, her body painfully rolling across the ground before she came to a stop in something wet. Whatever it was soaked the right side of her face and her hair which grew slick with it. Groaning in pain, her muscles screaming in protest, she got up onto her knees and opened her eyes, and saw she was right in a puddle of violet blood. The same puddle that she had just created. The blood stained her skin, clothes, and hair; but, instead of getting sick from it, she smiled.

_Perfect._

As she stood up, the ten halves of the bodies around her were lifted up into the air, the brunette turning her gaze onto the Elite. He stood where he had just picked up his dual swords, staring at her in alarm. With not so much as a lifted finger, she sent all ten halves flying at him. She knew he'd be able to dodge them all no matter how much power she exerted, so she just opted for more of a psychological attack with minimal power.

Unfortunately, it did not seem even _that_ worked. He was alarmed only for a moment before he was moving just as before, dodging the projectiles that had once been his _friends_. She chuckled at the thought briefly before narrowing her eyes once more at him. _Time to end this. _She had to end it soon, too. The fight had taken its toll on her, from getting hit and hitting the ground so often, not to mention all the power she was exerting trying to take out a _single alien_. Her body ached all over, her muscles sore and multiple cuts and abrasions littered her skin. Her vision wasn't doing all that well, either, as everything seemed almost blurry.

The lightning storm above her had died down since the fight had started as she let her control over it go once the Elite had gotten the first hit in. It no longer sapped away at her reserves of power, reserves that she needed now.

He charged her again, only with one sword, and this time she remembered to magnetize his armor. He didn't get close enough to strike before she sent him flying backwards, keeping him within fifty meters as he once again gracefully landed on his feet. As soon as he looked back up, she had her arm up, ready to fire. He went flying off to the side as she let loose, the shockwave throwing him to the ground. Just as he was climbing onto his feet, she fired another Railgun.

Her eyes widened when she saw him suddenly rising up into the sky, a tiny explosion sounding out from some device he had likely thrown down to propel him upwards. She smiled at the easy target; he couldn't dodge in mid-air, after all. She fired yet another Railgun straight at him, but he had already activated some jet pack and was slamming down into the ground right after she fired. It was quite the slam, too; giving her plenty of time to fire her last arcade token at him. This time, he had no time to dodge whatsoever and it slammed right into him.

The explosion was magnificent.

Firing four railguns all within such a short amount of time had drained her considerably. She was panting for breath, sweat staining her clothes as her body shook just a little. But she had managed to kill him. After all that, she had _finally_ managed it.

Her face fell when the smoke cleared.

The Elite, _that stubborn Elite_, was kneeling in the center of the blast zone with his fist punched down into the ground. Energy crackled around him as a white shield glowed bright. There wasn't even so much as a scratch on him. The energy violently dissipated and the shield vanished, the alien standing up with what she swore was a smile. To say the least, she was _furious_.

Lightning crackled all around her as she trembled in rage, a lightning strike coming down from the clouds and bathing her in the light. This alien wasn't just lucky, he's _smart_; smart and cunning.

She _hates_ smart aliens.

Mikoto shouted out her frustration, snakes of lightning crackling around her and sending voltages through the ground. She glared at the Elite as he charged and was about to send down a dozen lightning strikes all around him when he lifted up dual rifles. Hurriedly, Mikoto let go of the lightning that now struck randomly across the field and shifted her concentration onto the sand about her as he opened fire. A wall of iron sand met the bolts, absorbing them without fail as the alien continued to close the distance between them. He was close now, within fifteen meters of her; and he stood there, firing at her without pause.

Mikoto stretched her reach out far, gathering a huge amount of sand together before breaking it up into a dozen whips; then, she sent them all flying from every direction at the Elite with as much power as she could manage. His rifles dropped and his fist slammed into the ground; and that was her cue to turn her tornado into one huge blade and send it crashing down, full power, upon him at the same time as the other whips hit the white shield. The whips broke apart slamming into the shield, but the blade came down with her full power, enough to break the shield before she couldn't hold the attack any longer, the sand dispersing harmlessly and doing no more damage to him to her shock.

The Elite activated his sword, unfazed and unhurt, and charged Mikoto while she was still recovering from her attack. She took a surprised step back and let electricity fly, but she knew it wasn't enough to stop him. However, when it made contact, the Elite blinked, wavered, and vanished as if being turned off. Her eyes widened just as she sensed something right behind her.

Mikoto screamed, the blade searing into her and cutting a line across her back, immediately cauterizing the wound. A foot kicked her down onto the ground, pressing into the fresh cut. She cried out, gripping handfuls of dirt as pain wracked her body. The foot lifted off of her before kicking her onto her back, forcing her to cry out once more before something turned visible above her through eyes she could barely see out of. The Elite stood above her, looking down at her.

She forced herself past the biting pain and the growing pounding in her head to glare up at him and focus... to focus enough to strike back. A small whip of sand shot up, catching him off guard and shearing his shields off, cutting through his helmet and into his flesh on the left side of his face. Blood seeped through the wound, but it wasn't enough to stop him. He grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her up, her air supply getting abruptly cut off.

Instead of struggling, Mikoto met his eyes and gripped his arm tight, she propped her foot up on his leg and grinned at him. He tried to pull back, but she held on and summoned up every last remainder of her strength. Electricity engulfed the both of them, the current going into the Elite as he roared in pain. Mikoto cried out, struggling with everything she had left, the electricity shooting out all around her, connecting them.

Then, just as it peaked, he threw her back. She landed with the cut across her back right on a piece of rubble that poked out of the ground, and she screamed at the sharp spike in pain. Mikoto rolled onto her side to save her back, and she barely noticed the blade slamming down into the ground in front of her face. She strained to look up the blade and into the eyes of the Elite.

**"Shipmaster Kora 'Koramai."**

Those were the last words she heard before his foot came slamming down into her stomach and she blacked out with one last, silent cry.


	4. Still Alive

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo**

* * *

_W__here is she? Where's Kuroko? The others? She couldn't tell. Wait... she heard something. The low hum of a Type-52 Troop Carrier. Wait, how did she know that...?_

_"Brothers!" The resounding cry from within the dropship opened her eyes and she saw that she was inside of it, along with another dozen Sangheili, many of whom were anxious, she could feel it in the air. She didn't feel any alarm upon seeing them; it was as if they had always been there and were just part of the environment. She then looked away from the warriors and around, catching sight of the one who had spoken; it was Rho 'Buranee, the one and only General of the team. He stood in the middle of the dropship, standing with an aura of pride about him. She briefly thought that that pride would one day be his downfall._

_Only, it didn't feel like she had been the one to think that at all._

_Rho stepped forward, getting all attention on him. "Today, we cleanse the galaxy of the heretics who would dare oppose the Great Journey. They defy us and try to stand in our path, to keep us from walking the path! We will not let them! We will strike back and slaughter them; their entire race shall fall, and we will continue on! Nothing shall deter the Great Journey!" She could feel the excitement rise, and even she felt excited, but she didn't let it show._

_"Swordsmaster," Rho said, turning towards her, "do you have any words of wisdom for us, brother?" Brother? Why was he looking at he-_

_"Yes." She said, her voice something completely different. She stood up, her eyes nearly level with Rho's on. Had she always been this tall? She stepped forward, coming to take Rho's spot as she looked around at the young Sangheili that eagerly looked up at her in return. What was the meaning of this? Why was her body acting on its own? What's going on!?_

_Then, she spoke. "Today, we face our enemy on the battlefield. Blade will lock up against blade, and many will fall. If you wish to survive this battle, then do not underestimate your enemy. Primitive they may be, but their primitive weapons will still kill, and their resolve is strong. They are a cornered animal, and they will fight with unseen ferocity when backed up against the wall. Do not falter, and do not act recklessly; use your wits, control your emotions, and you will make it out of this as true warriors."_

_The Sangheili stood up once she finished, their eyes showing burning determination as they readied themselves, weapons in hand. "Ready yourselves, for this is just the beginning." They turned towards the dropship's door, Rho coming up to stand at her side, his plasma repeater in hand.  
"Today the heretics shall burn."  
__"Yes, they shall."_

_The door opened and they dropped down into a hailstorm of gunfire._

* * *

**Unknown Location  
Unknown Date  
**

Mikoto's eyes snapped open, her hand tightening around her hold as her mind raced. _What was that...? _What had she just seen? A dream? But it was too vivid to be just a dream; everything felt so real! What's more, Type-52 Troop Carrier? Sangheili? How does she know what those words mean?

Mikoto brought her free hand to her head, scratching at her hair before shaking her head. _I don't know. _She sighed, calming herself down as she loosened her hold on... Wait. What _was _she holding? She looked over, and saw that she was holding someone's hand; _Kuroko's _hand to be exact. Her face flushed and she quickly moved to withdraw her hand.

As soon as she tried to move away, Kuroko's hand tightened around her own. "Onee-sama..."

Mikoto looked up at the girl's face, ready to start shouting, only to see that the girl was asleep, nestled in under the covers and facing her. She had a peaceful expression on her face, one that had no hidden intentions or perverted ideas; only a face that she could have in her sleep, doubtlessly. Then, barely knowing what she was doing, Mikoto smiled. _Kuroko's safe..._

Then, her attention turned back unto her current situation. _Where am I? _The last thing she remembered were the words that the Elite had said to her and nothing else. _Kuroko's here, so that must mean... I'm at... Headquarters? _Mikoto tried to look around, but the redhead's hold on her hand wasn't giving up anytime soon; however, she did manage to see enough to guess that she was inside of an infirmary of some kind. It was small, not even with another bed, and the room itself looked more like it had been furnished into a makeshift infirmary rather than being an actual one.

"Mm... Onee-sama?" Mikoto looked back to Kuroko at the sound of her sleepy voice, the teleporter's eyes open and looking into her own.  
"Kuroko, you-" She was suddenly cut off when something soft pressed up against her lips, Kuroko kissing her only for a moment before pulling back, but the touch lingered.  
"Onee-sama, good morn-"

Mikoto's fist came down on top of the girl's head, forcing out a cry of pain as she dug it into the pervert's skull. "Good morning my butt! What do you think you're doing!?" She shouted, the tips of her ears crimson. _That was her first kiss! No, it was with a girl, so it doesn't count! But that doesn't make it any better!_

Kuroko clutched her head, her look like a hurt animal's; it was enough to get Mikoto to stop and back off. "Mou, Onee-sama, it was just a little 'good morning' kiss..." Her voice was strangely not as perv-sounding as usual, which made Mikoto pause for a moment.

"Um... yeah." She muttered, looking away from Kuroko and sitting upright in bed. Kuroko watched her, as if waiting for something. Then, without a word, she sat up, still keeping an eye on her. It was slightly unnerving. "Wh-what is it?" Mikoto stammered.

"Onee-sama, are you in pain?" Kuroko asked.  
Mikoto blinked, confused. Taking a moment to check if she _did_ feel any pain, Mikoto came to the conclusion that she was alright. "I feel fine. Why do you ask?"  
"And your back?"  
Mikoto only got more confused. "Like I said, I'm fine."

Kuroko averted her eyes for a moment, the girl taking a steady breath before looking back at her, locking eyes with her. "There's something you need to see, Onee-sama. Please take off your shirt."

"Huh?" That was the only thing she could think of to say at Kuroko's sudden request. _She's asking me... to take off my shirt? _Normally, she wouldn't even think about doing that. But, Kuroko's tone... it was enough for her to wonder about it. "W-why?"

"I shall look away." Was the teleporter's only answer as she turned away and sat at the edge of the bed, leaving no room to argue.

Mikoto looked at Kuroko, down at her pajamas, and then decided that she'd listen to the girl. After all, she wouldn't request something perverted in such a dead serious voice, would she? She unbuttoned the few buttons that _were_ buttoned and slipped out of the top, her cheeks reddening when she realized she wasn't wearing a bra. She brought the shirt up to cover her chest, her cheeks even redder as she looked at Kuroko's still-turned back. "It's off."

She didn't turn around. "There is a mirror behind you on the wall, please look back at it."  
"Right..."

Mikoto glanced at Kuroko a moment longer, a little wary of what was going on, before looking back over her shoulder, catching sight of the mirror that reflected her entire body. Her eyes widened, her limbs freezing in place as she looked at what marred her skin. All the way from her left shoulder to her right hip was a scar, long and ugly. Instantly, she was reminded of the searing hot pain that she had felt when that Elite had gotten behind her.

_He... did this?_

Her blood ran cold.

_He... could have killed me._

Her hand slowly reached around to her back, her breath coming out terribly slow as she inched closer. Mikoto tentatively brushed up against it with her finger and winced. It wasn't as bad as it looked, though; didn't hurt as bad as she thought it would.

Then, she realized something.

The scar, it didn't look completely fresh. She didn't have any idea about what kind of medical technology these guys have, but how much could they have done in a single night? Or, had she been out longer; if so, how long? "Kuroko..." She breathed, turning her gaze over to the girl, who looked back at her, their eyes meeting.

Mikoto's breath caught in her throat. She could instantly tell so much from the way that Kuroko was looking at her; she was able to see the sadness and regret in her eyes, and it didn't need to be said that the teleporter believed herself to be at fault. Her heart ached at the sight; and, as if catching on to her, Kuroko hurriedly looked away. Just as Mikoto reached out a hand for her, the girl stood up.

"Onee-sama... I'm sorry," Kuroko began, her voice soft and low, "I... I shouldn't have let you go... all by yourself." Her hand went up to her face, wiping away the water that was forming in her eyes. "I should have went with you...! That way, you wouldn't have been hurt!" She waved her arm out violently at her exclamation, sniffling as she looked down at the floor. "Please, forgive-"

"Kuroko!" Mikoto cried out, grabbing the girl's wrist before she could carry on. "It's not your fault! I didn't give you a choice!"  
The redhead whirled around, her teary eyes lighting up Mikoto's vision. "I still could have gone with you!"  
"I wouldn't have let you; I didn't want to see you hurt!" Her voice was stern.  
"But-"

Kuroko's eyes widened when she was suddenly being held in Mikoto's embrace, the brunette's arms holding her tight against her bare chest. One hand laid firmly on her back, while the other laid soothingly upon the back of her head. "Kuroko..." Her name was whispered into her ear, soft and gentle. It sounded... so sweet. "I'm alright..." Her Onee-sama leaned her head back, looking into Kuroko's eyes as she looked back. A soft, refreshing smile formed on Mikoto's lips. "I'm alright, Kuroko. So, don't worry about it." She leaned forward, her forehead pressing up against Kuroko's own. "I'm fine, see?"

Her Onee-sama's bright-faced smile spoke so much, and it was so sweet to her eyes after so long. Kuroko couldn't help but give in to her and that sweet smiles of hers... and then, she felt so tired. So very tired. She closed her eyes and laid her head against Mikoto's chest, one last thought entering her mind before she fell into a peaceful slumber.

_Onee-sama's... alright..._

Mikoto blinked, confused. Kuroko had suddenly fallen asleep in her arms, with her head right up against her chest. Mikoto was about to say something; but, after looking at Kuroko sleeping now, she realized how wrong she had been about her expression before. This time, she truly looked at peace, like she was sleeping after days of restless nights; and, that smile that laid upon her face, erased all of the aching in Mikoto's heart.

She smiled and held the girl in her arms. She'd let her stay like that for a minute or two more, even if it was embarrassing.

"It's about time."

Mikoto jumped at the voice, her head snapping around to find out who had just spoke. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about covering her chest; unfortunately, Kuroko was the one covering her chest. "Who's there?" Just after she said that, her eyes landed upon a nearby pedestal, a 6" hologram of a female marine standing on it. The only thing noteworthy of her characteristics was that her short hair was up in a ponytail and her expression was a friendly, cheerful smile.

"Kuroko-chan hasn't been sleeping well these past few days so it's nice to see her finally, and soundly, go to sleep. Oh, pardon me, I haven't introduced myself." The woman gave a Japanese-styled bow. "Hello there, Misaka Mikoto-kun, I am Cole, the resident Artificial Intelligence of the 77th Marines Division. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Mikoto blinked. "Artificial Intelligence?" Her eyes then widened as she just caught what the woman had said. "Wait, 'these past few days'...?" She asked, her tone fearful. If Cole said that Kuroko hasn't been sleeping well the past few days, then that meant that Mikoto's been unconscious for that entire time, if not longer.

"Yes, it's been a week since you lost consciousness on the battlefield and were brought here to Company Headquarters, although it's Battalion Headquarters now, despite the colonel being absent."

"A... week?" Mikoto breathed, shocked. She's been out for an entire _week_!? How...?  
"Yes, I believe it had to do with the beating you took and the possibility that you overexerted yourself _quite_ _a bit_."

_Overexerted myself...? _Mikoto looked down, unintentionally looking at Kuroko who continued to sleep despite the ongoing conversation. _Those Railguns took a lot out of me, especially with that rate of fire, and I used as much power as I could with each one. Then, that gigantic sword... I poured _everything _into that, every last stretch of power I could summon. Even after that, I still struck out twice more..._

_Did I really manage to overexert myself...?_

She brought her right hand up, away from Kuroko. A flurry of blue snakes crackled to life around it; and, at the sound of it, Kuroko murmured her name and pressed against her tighter. Mikoto gave the girl a soft, slightly amused, smile before cutting her electricity off, the girl settling down. _Well, it doesn't feel like it now; in fact, I feel like I'm bristling with power. But, I guess, back then, I might have pushed myself too far..._

Her eyes narrowed.

_But... even _that_ wasn't enough to deal with that Elite, that... 'Koramai..._

_That's right. Kora 'Koramai. _That's his name. He told her himself, and, somehow, she was absolutely certain of it. It hadn't been anything in his alien tongue; it had just been his name.

"Mikoto-kun, we need to speak." Mikoto looked back to Cole. "What happened out there? When we found you, you had been knocked unconscious with several cuts and bruises marking your body along with that blade wound across your back. We honestly don't know how you're still alive after facing an Elite in close quarters, but it seems like the wounds you took were not meant to kill, otherwise they could have easily broken your bones. Even the wound across your back was laid with the intention to last, not to injure or maim."

"...What...?" Mikoto breathed, her blood running cold. _Does that mean... he was just 'playing' with me? But, he let me live... Why...? Why would he... do that?_

"Mikoto-kun, do you remember anything about who you were fighting?" Cole asked, interrupting her thoughts.  
_Who I was fighting... _"Yeah, he told me his name." She said, her voice soft.  
"Interesting." Cole said, pondering it for a moment. "What is it?"  
"Kora 'Koramai."

The AI was silent, no visible reaction other than that her hologram was currently unchanging, just frozen in place. Seconds passed; and, although it didn't feel terribly long to her, Mikoto wondered just how long a second was for an artificial intelligence. After what seemed like four or five seconds, Cole spoke again, her voice dead serious with its once cheerful tone set aside. "Mikoto, please put your shirt back on. There's someone who wants to speak with you."

The brunette blinked, confused by the sudden change in mood. "Right..."

* * *

**Covenant-Held City of Klaxon** **(Evening)**

Gunnery Sergeant Drain peered out of the window, eyeing the Covenant Phantom that was passing by, four Shade turrets on its underside as two Wraiths followed on the road underneath it with several squads of Infantry tailing behind. "Looks like they're reinforcing their defensive positions." He muttered. At his comment, Lance Corporal Remington looked over at him from across the room.

"Think they're on to us, sir?"  
"Hard to say. The Covenant prefer to hunt, not to sit around and wait."

"Sir, company." At Corporal Kaiser's voice, Drain turned around and saw a familiar figure coming up from the basement. His steady, calm brown eyes met hers, a pair of hardened, near-emotionless, blue eyes.

"How are your wounds?" He asked the woman, looking at the scorch marks on her armor.  
"I can fight, sir."  
"I _asked _you how your wounds are." He repeated, his voice the same as if he was giving an order.  
The woman didn't so much as blink. "It will take another two days for my wounds to fully heal; however, I am still-"

Drain looked away from her, cutting her off with just that one gesture. "You look tired, get some rest."  
"Sir-"  
"_That _is an order,"  
"...Yes sir."

The woman turned back around, heading down the stairs without another word. Once she was down there, and when Drain believed she wouldn't be able to overhear them, he gestured for Kaiser to come over. "Corporal, go down there and make sure she actually gets some sleep." He whispered into the boy's ear. It didn't hurt to be safe.

"If she doesn't? And _don't_ tell me to hit her over the head really hard." Kaiser whispered back.  
"Then sing a lullaby! I don't care!" Drain whispered sharply.  
"Fine. I got it, sir."  
Before he could walk off, Drain stopped him. "While you're down there, check on Ryouta and the others. Make sure he hasn't set anything on fire.  
"And if he goes arsonist on me?"  
"Then, congratulations, you just got promoted to Fireman First Class."  
He sighed. "Understood, sir."

Fireman First Class Kaiser headed down the stairs after the woman, leaving Drain to look out of the window and up into the darkening sky. Two more days until they could finally get out of this city; two long days.

* * *

**Battalion Headquarters (Morning)  
October 5th  
**

As soon as Mikoto had finished buttoning her top and tucking Kuroko in, the door to the makeshift infirmary opened up and a familiar, black-armored figure walked in, his helmet missing and revealing his entire face. Short, regulation-cut, black hair; a clean shaven face with a scar across his left cheek; and his weary, dark brown eyes spoke of much experience with war... and death.

"Misaka-san, I am 1st Lieutenant Saionji of the 105th Shock Troops Division. We met before on the field, do you remember?" He said upon entering, looking straight into her eyes.  
Mikoto nodded, instantly recognizing his voice. "Yes, I do."  
"I'll get straight to the point," He walked up to the bed, sparing Kuroko a small glance, "you said you fought an Elite by the name of Kora 'Koramai, correct?"  
"Yes."  
"...You're still alive?"

That question caught Mikoto completely off guard and she simply stared at the man in bewilderment, wondering what he meant by _that_. Looking into his eyes, she saw that he was... amazed, as if there was no doubt in his mind that she should be dead.

"Smooth, real smooth." Cole whispered from her pedestal.

Saionji snapped out of it, blinking as he realized just what he had said. "I'm sorry, that came out the wrong way..." He placed his hand up against his forehead, looking away from Mikoto. "What I meant is..." He looked towards the ceiling, narrowing his eyes. "Is... No." He shook his head and looked back at Mikoto, his hand going back to his side. "How are you still alive? That's the best way to put it."

"What... do you mean?" Mikoto asked, still confused by what he was asking, no, _how_ he was asking it, as if there was no way that she could still be alive.

"Kora 'Koramai," Saionji began, looking into her eyes, "he is one of the most dangerous Elites the UNSC has ever come across. Seven years ago, my squad and I faced him when he, on his own, boarded the heavy cruiser _Autumn_ _Wind_. He slaughtered everyone in his path, and I lost my entire squad to him." His left hand turned into a fist as he looked at his arm, a sad, fearful expression in his eyes. "Two Spartans showed up before he could finish me off, and they just barely drove him off of the ship, sustaining heavy injuries in the process."

"Spartans...?" The ancient Greek warriors came to mind, but she doubted it was the same thing.  
"Super soldiers, and the only ones who can stand up to an Elite in a fair fight. But, 'Koramai was barely even injured when they drove him off."

He turned, his side facing her as he looked back at the door. "That isn't all. A year after that, command got word his ship, a destroyer, was out on its own away from Covenant lines. They sent a fleet of four heavy frigates, three destroyers, and two cruisers, a Marathon and a Halcyon, to take him out; but..."

"The entire fleet was destroyed, just by his lone destroyer." Cole finished for him. "Following that event, his ship, though damaged, appeared above the colony world of Sargasso along with two Assault Carriers. During the engagement, Covenant losses were minimal and they used tactics we've never seen them use before. Sargasso fell within hours."

Saionji looked back at her, looking her over once before speaking. "You may control electricity and all that, but I doubt that would do _him _in. He is unparalleled in CQC, and his tactical brilliance is rumored to be on par with Admiral Cole's own." He sighed, looking down at the floor. "So, forgive me, but if that's who you really fought, then I find it hard to believe how you can still be alive..."

Mikoto didn't know anything about super soldiers or all of those ships, a colony world or an admiral, but the point was clear. 'Koramai is _dangerous_. She didn't even have to be told; he adapted with such ease to her attacks and he was never fazed by any of her powers. But, there was still a reason she was alive. It wasn't because she had fought him off, or because somebody had saved her; instead, it was all because of him.

"Lieutenant," She began, looking down into her lap, "he... wasn't serious. He held back enough for me to dodge his swords, and he never hit me hard enough to really hurt me."  
His eyes widened in disbelief. "What...?"  
"I don't know why, but he never intended to kill me."

Saionji frowned, looking over towards Cole. "He must be planning something..."  
Cole's hand went to her chin. "Perhaps. But, it might be because he _didn't_ have a plan."  
"...You're right." He nodded. "They just appeared a couple of hours beforehand, so he couldn't have had a plan for this. But, still, why let her live? What's more, he could have taken her captive but he didn't."  
"This certainly got a lot more complicated."

"It did." Saionji turned around, facing the door. "Cole, inform Admiral Standingwater about this. I'll tell the captain."  
"Yes sir." Cole answered before disappearing from her pedestal.

Before Saionji could leave, Mikoto called out to him. "Lieutenant!"  
"Yes?" He asked, looking back at her.  
"Uiharu and Saten, where are they?"  
He smiled. "They should be here in a moment. Oh, and don't worry, we've treated them well. I'll be back after I speak with the captain." With a wave of his hand he was gone, heading out the door and down the hall.

Before Mikoto could even start thinking about anything as she was left there waiting, a familiar voice called out to her.

"Misaka-san!" Uiharu ran in, stopping for a moment when she saw her and long enough for a smile to break out on her face. "Misaka-san!" She cried again, closing the distance between them and throwing her arms around her.

"Ui-" Mikoto began, but was cut off.

"Misaka!" Before she could even look over at her, Saten's arms were enveloping her in a hug. "We were so worried!" The long-haired girl said, looking up into her eyes. "You just kept on sleeping!"

"Y-yeah, sorry about that." Mikoto said, smiling at the both of them as her cheeks grew a little red.  
Saten leaned forward, whispering into her ear. "Don't worry, I don't think Shirai did _too _much while you were asleep."  
"Haha... yeah." Mikoto uttered, her laugh a nervous one.

The two girls drew away, Saten plopping down on Mikoto's side of the bed as Uiharu stood next to Kuroko who was still asleep, not at all bothered by the noise around her. "Misaka-san, how do you feel?" Uiharu asked, her voice laced with concern.

Mikoto smiled at her. "I feel fine, although... it's a little uncomfortable when my shirt rubs against my back."  
"Ah..." Uiharu looked down and Saten was the one to ask.  
"Did you... see it?"

Mikoto nodded. "I did, but..." She looked down at Kuroko, a smile playing across her lips. "It doesn't bother me that much..." What had been more bothering was the redhead's outburst and tears; a scar, even one that ran the length of her entire back, was no big deal in comparison.

Uiharu, catching where she was looking, looked down at Kuroko and her eyes widened in surprise at the peaceful expression on her face. She smiled and placed a hand on the teleporter's arm. "Shirai-san looks so peaceful..." The flower-adorned girl said, softly, before looking back up at Mikoto. "She was so worried about you."

"Yeah, she even teleported past the marines and went out into the city to grab those pajamas for you." Saten said, a big smile across her face. "You should have seen them trying to chase her! It was hilarious!"

"Pajamas?" Mikoto looked down at what she was wearing and, for the first time, realized what she had on. They were regular pajamas, like her Gekota ones (not like Kuroko's creepy-freaky pieces of cloth), and they were pink with a very adorable, white flowery pattern on them. Her cheeks reddened, and that was when she noticed that Kuroko had on the same kind of pajamas.

"She thought that you'd get better sooner if you were wearing something cute, and she even got a pair for her too." Saten answered.  
"Kuroko... did that?" Mikoto asked, surprised.  
"Hai!" Uiharu answered, smiling.

Mikoto looked back down at Kuroko, bringing her hand up to the girl's cheek, caressing it. A warm smile spread across her face. "Thanks, Kuroko."  
"Onee-sama..." The girl muttered at her touch, moving her head into Mikoto's hand.

Mikoto blushed and removed her hand, a disappointed moan coming from Kuroko before the girl went back into her deep slumber. Then, she suddenly remembered something; the whole reason that they were here. "That's right," She looked back to Uiharu, "Uiharu, about-" She stopped, just now realizing what Uiharu and Saten were wearing.

Uiharu had on what appeared to be some kind of uniform, an officer's uniform perhaps, with a pistol in a holster on the side and some PDA attached to a belt she had on. Saten, on the other hand, looked like a marine with the armor plates and the obviously full belt she had; and, like Uiharu, she also had a pistol, but hers appeared to be magnetically attached to her thigh.

She blinked at their outfits. "What... are you wearing?"

"Ah..." Uiharu muttered, looking down at herself. "Well..."  
"It's the fashion trend around here!" Saten said, smiling.  
"Ah... Hai." Uiharu relented, not offering anything else.

"But, pistols?" Mikoto asked, warily eying their side arms. _What's going on?_  
"'Only to be drawn under sudden attack from Covenant forces'." Saten quoted before looking over at Uiharu. "They told Uiharu: 'Only if in danger of sustaining bodily harm after a sudden attack from Covenant forces'." The girl looked down at the ground, her cheeks pink.  
"Did they teach you how to use it?"  
Uiharu sighed. "Hai..."  
Saten only gave Uiharu a big, wide smile.

Mikoto briefly imagined Uiharu behind the trigger of a pistol, and it went well, until the girl pulled the trigger and the combined recoil and discharge made her jump in surprise and sent her stumbling back before she lost her balance and landed on her butt.

Mikoto only managed a hesitant smile at that thought, before she remembered what she had been about to ask. "Uiharu," She locked eyes with her friend, "about the experimental teleporter, have you been able to find out where it is?"

Uiharu blinked, and then her expression turned serious as she remembered it. "Yes. The tracking information was compatible with their technology and we were able to locate where it is, but..." She glanced down at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Mikoto. "It's in the capital city, Klaxon, which has been... taken by the Covenant and is... located on the other side of the planet."


	5. Stormbringer

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo**

* * *

**Fleet of ****_Conscientious _****_Deliverance  
_****CCS-Class Battlecruiser ****_Tenacious Retribution  
_****October 5th**

Special Operations Commander Kora 'Koramai, Master Swordsman and the Shipmaster of the CPV-Class Heavy Destroyer _Ultimate Salvation_, stepped out from the command center of the battlecruiser, the doors closing behind him. He caught sight of Jun 'Chavamee, a Sangheili Ultra and the shipmaster of the Battlecruiser _Valorous Truth _and a longtime friend of his, waiting for him. Without a word, they began walking together.

The other shipmasters who had been called to the meeting had already departed some time ago, when it had officially ended. The reason Kora was late in leaving was his position as advisor to Fleet Master 'Rithinee, and they had been discussing the current state of the ongoing battle. The fleet master, who was rather young for his position, looked to his counsel and often listened, even when such counsel was not about taking immediate action against the humans.

Jun, on his part, had stayed behind to speak with Kora, as it had been some time since they were last alone. Within the empty corridors of this part of the ship, devoid of any other crewmembers going about their duties, the Ultra began as they made way to the hanger. "What is the fleet master's decision, brother?"

Kora kept his eyes to the front. "For seven rotations, the fleet master has ordered for all forces to maintain and reinforce our positions, saying that any unauthorized offense is not allowed following the appearance of Stormbringer." He said, continuing on. "That, along with the recent deaths of the Zealot team in the city, has made 'Rithinee wary."

"The humans will have ample time to move." Jun deduced.  
"Yes, they will surely seize the opportunity." Kora nodded in agreement.  
"They are stubborn creatures."  
"That they are."

There was a moment of silence before Jun began again. "Brother," He said, moving onto the main topic that he wanted to discuss with Kora, "tell me about this 'Stormbringer'."  
"Have you read the report?" Kora asked as they rounded a corner, both staying silent as they passed by a Ranger.

"Yes." Jun said once they were past. "You fought with a human on the battlefield, the one responsible for 'Sumee's death and the deaths of over three hundred of his troops. You said this human wielded the very power of the storm, could control _iron sand_ at will, and fire a projectile at a speed strong enough to tear the ground asunder."

That was the extent of what Kora had made note of in his report; he had decided to leave out certain aspects.

Jun continued, "During your fight, you inflicted a wound across its back, but the blade didn't go deep enough. After sustaining this injury, the human escaped, and you were unable to pursue." Finished, the Ultra eyed Kora, waiting...

"How much do you believe?" Kora asked, meeting Jun's eyes.  
"I doubt any human could escape from the Blade of the Covenant, no matter what powers they wielded." He said.  
"Your suspicion is well-founded." Kora admitted.

Jun smiled underneath his helmet, pleased that he was correct in his assumption. "What truly happened?"  
"I knocked her unconscious and left her there."  
"Her?"

"A human female, one of their young." Kora answered as they rounded a corner, only to catch sight of crew milling about. They were nearing the hanger now, which meant the corridors would only become busier. "Ride with me and we shall speak more." Kora kept his voice low so that only Jun heard him.

Jun nodded in agreement. "I'll inform my ship to leave without me."

That was the end of their conversation, and they didn't speak more on their way into the hanger. Together, they headed for Kora's dropship as Jun's Spirit lifted off, heading on towards the _Ultimate Salvation_. Kora's Phantom was unlike others of its kind; instead of purple, it was painted black, and it's capable of both active camouflage and being undetectable by any known sensors. It was made for stealth, and served as Kora's personal dropship; it wasn't the only one of its kind either, as there were three more back on his destroyer for larger and more complex operations.

* * *

Once onboard his own ship, Kora told the Kig-Yar pilot to disembark. The doors closed and sealed as the dropship exited its dock and made its way from the battlecruiser. "Kig-Yar?" Jun asked, confused; from what he knew, the master swordsman had Sangheili pilots for all four of his stealth ships.

"'Pewtrunee proved to be foolish and insubordinate, going off on his own and getting himself killed; Dok, however, has proven himself as a capable soldier and an excellent pilot." Kora answered.  
"Pity, 'Pewtrunee was one of your best."  
"I fear his thirst for glory was what drove him astray."

Jun looked towards the cockpit, contemplating something. "Dok, is he trustworthy?"  
"Yes." Was all Kora said, and all that needed to be said.

Jun nodded, and looked back to Kora. "Tell me more about this 'Stormbringer'."

"There were three others with her, all of similar age." He answered. "Only one other showed an ability, however, and that is to teleport. Herself, others, objects; it does not matter what."  
Jun's eyes widened. "A Teleporter..." He breathed, astonished. "And, what of the two others?"  
"One took up the rifle, and the other... I am not certain. My contact informed me that she could become one of their officers, a _leader_."  
Jun's interest peaked. "Your contact?"

Kora grinned. "Yes. I have an informant within the human's 77th Marine's Battalion."  
Jun took a step forward. "A traitor?" It wasn't said with disgust; instead, it was wonder. Although cowardly, traitorous humans weren't unheard of, he still found the idea unbelievable.

"No, not quite." Kora said, taking a couple of steps to the side as he studied the dropship's interior. "We exchange information. I tell it something, and it tells me what I want to know."  
"What is it that you want to know?" Jun asked, watching Kora.  
"More about these young females, these... young warriors." The swordsman said, nearly drifting off into thought as he looked up at the ceiling.

Then Jun asked the question that had been bothering him the most. "Kora... what does this change? The sudden appearance of these four humans?"

Kora closed his eyes, contemplating it for a moment. "It changes everything." He finally said.  
Jun looked down, his mandibles set into a frown. "I see..."

As Kora turned back to look at him, and as Jun brought his head up, Jun found himself looking straight into Kora's eyes. He could see them clearly, the eyes of a leader. They weren't the eyes of a simple commander, or even a shipmaster's. They're the eyes of someone much higher than that. They were the kind of eyes that inspired his troops, and that drew many warriors to him, much like it had drawn Jun himself to the master swordsman's side.

Once, his faithfulness to the Great Journey had been first above all else; but, now, his respect for the warrior across of him had toppled even that wall. He would follow Kora anywhere, and go down any path because of that respect, and he would have no second thoughts about it. His life, his blade, had been given, and Kora had accepted it.

Jun looked off to the side, finding it hard to hold Kora's gaze any longer, and, with his question answered, his thoughts went back to Stormbringer. "This human, did she control her powers using some form of device?" He wanted to know much more about this female, as his own speculations about her were too high for his liking.

Kora took an object out from a compartment on his armor and held it out to Jun, showing off the small, green device. "I searched her after knocking her out and found only this _communicator_. I believe she controlled her powers by her own will, and I believe the Teleporter is the same."

Jun took the object into his hands, studying it closely. If she utilized no device to control the elements, then what did that mean? She just willed it and it happened!? _If that is so, then... _"Kora, could it be possible... that she is of the gods?"

Kora blinked, surprised. "What do you mean?"  
Jun looked back into Kora's eyes. "The ability to control nature's elements, and the ability to teleport without aid, both are surely a god's power. What if... we are dealing with more than mere humans?"  
"...Go on."  
"Perhaps they're warriors, sent down from the heavens by the gods themselves..." His voice was uncertain, but... what else could it be?

"Then why humans? Why do they fight against us, the followers of the Great Journey?"  
Jun glared down at the communicator in his hand, thinking hard. "Maybe, the humans are meant for something more than dying by our hand." His speech was borderline heresy, but he didn't care.

"Then, you say that the gods favor the humans in this battle? That god-sent warriors fight alongside the humans?" Jun was silent, and Kora took that as his answer. He turned around, looking up at the ceiling. "Jun 'Chavamee, I entrust that such rumors will _not _surface or spread. The morale of the warriors of the fleet will be _greatly _affected if so, am I clear?"

Jun's head snapped up after he realized just what Kora was saying. "Of course, shipmaster..." He answered, his mandibles closing in a smile for a brief moment. "I will make certain that such rumors will neither be spoken by mouth nor heard by ear."  
Kora turned back around, looking into Jun's eyes. "Jun, as for what these females truly are, I believe that they are humans. They may wield unnatural powers, but they have the unmistakable scent of humans. They are full of flaws, but they're able to be molded into anything, even into warriors of higher regard than the Sangheili."

"I agree, brother." Jun said. He may have yet to see these females for himself, but Kora spoke with such confidence that there was now no doubt in his mind about these _humans_, for that is what they are.

With his mind at ease, his eyes drifted down to the device he held in his hand. "You said this was a communicator?" Jun questioned just as he took notice that it could be flipped open. He saw Sangheili script on the small screen of the device; not only that, but he now noticed how easily it fit in his hand. It was far too big for a human's hand, and with the Sangheili script present, he quickly came to one conclusion. "You had a Huragok look at this?"

"I had no way to tell what it was otherwise." Kora admitted. "By my orders, the Huragok engineered it for my use; I thought that, perhaps, there would be some useful information on it. However, it turned out to only be a mere tool for simple communication, video recording, and **photo**-capturing." It was a human word, one that both Sangheili were unfamiliar with.

**"Photo?" **Jun asked, trying the word out.  
"Yes, it takes pictures." Kora interpreted.

Jun was puzzled. "This _communicator _has the ability to capture pictures?" The Sangheili and the Covenant both have communicators in all aspects of life, but this is the first Jun has ever heard of a communicator able to take pictures. Display holographic 3-D images, yes; take simple, still, 2-D pictures, no. "May you show me?"

"Yes." Kora answered, taking the device from him. Kora was far from being familiar with its workings, but he was a fast learner, and had the jest of it, so it only took him _a few seconds _to find out what to do. Once he had the camera up, he aimed it at Jun, and pressed the appropriate button to take the picture, or **photo**. Whatever the humans called it.

Kora handed the communicator back to Jun, who took it and looked at the image of him displayed on the screen. Jun noticed his head looked a little big, but realized that it was probably because of the rather large helmet he had on. Growing a little curious, he wondered what would happen if he pressed a certain button, and saw that he had switched to another picture. This one was of a Huragok, and he could almost swear that it looked _giddy_.

"I see, so this button cycles through the gallery." Jun muttered, mostly to himself, but loud enough for Kora to catch wind of it. Having not yet gotten that far into figuring the device out, Kora moved around to Jun's side and watched what he was doing.

Jun pressed the button again and a new image popped up, this one of four human females, young ones. All four had their lips curled up and mouths open, baring their fangs, which greatly confused both Sangheili. The way they were pressed together did not suggest they were trying to intimidate a foe, so Kora and Jun figured it was something akin to cultural differences. Perhaps baring their fangs was a friendly greeting to others of their species?

After getting over their facial expressions, Jun took notice of the differences. One, the tallest, had short, brown hair growing out from her temple, while the one pressing against her more than necessary had red, or reddish-brown, hair pulled up into two tails on either side of her head. Something about the brunette's eyes drew Jun to her, and he had to ask. "Kora, this one here, she is Stormbringer?"

Seeing where Jun was looking, Kora narrowed his eyes, only slightly, though. "Yes. The one with red hair against her is the teleporter."

Jun spared another glance at the short human before glancing over at the one with the longest hair growing out from her head. She seemed to be baring her fangs more than any of the others, so his first thought was that she was more fierce than the others, though it's likely the opposite. Finally, he looked next to the Teleporter, and spotted the one who had a miniature garden growing on top of her head, and who bared her fangs the least.

"Kora... this human, with the flowers..." Jun said, his voice trailing off.  
"Yes, I have... wondered about that myself." Kora admitted, taking a closer look at the girl.

There was silence for a few moments, before Jun finally came up with something. "Perhaps, it is a... natural defense mechanism...?" He mused. "She can blend in with nature... to hide from predators?"

"It's possible that it is there to... make her seem harmless to her prey, so that she may get right up upon them." Kora offered instead. "Or, perhaps, it has to do with attracting a mate...?"

They shared a look between each other and then looked back at the female, finally coming to a conclusion. "Perhaps it does have to do with attracting a mate." They both concluded, neither of them even thinking that the flowers _could _be artificial.

Before they could look at more pictures, Dok's voice came over the speakers. _"Shipmaster 'Koramai, we are approaching the _Ultimate Salvation_."_

"Very good, bring us in." Kora said as Jun gave him the device back.  
_"Sending the docking code." _It took a few moments for the destroyer to clarify it was them, but they passed quickly. _"Docking code accepted. We're entering the hanger. Stand by."_

Requiring the use of a docking code was Kora's own idea, to prevent anyone from sneaking onboard his ship or being allowed onboard without his notice. It was not a common practice.

"Until we speak again." Kora said as Dok docked the dropship, the Kig-Yar opening the left door upon his orders.  
"It has been an honor, Kora." Jun brought his fist up against his chest in a sign of respect, and the master swordsman returned the gesture.

They then dropped down to the hanger floor, parting ways as Jun headed towards his Spirit that waited for him nearby. Kora started to make way for his personal quarters, but before he made it out of the hanger he spotted Orna 'Kasamee, a weapons master. Orna was in charge of hand-held weapons, armor, and equipment, along with directing the Huragok whenever they were needed for maintenance or... _modification_.

Kora met his eye and headed towards him, Orna meeting him halfway. "Shipmaster." The weapons master greeted. "Is your sword holding up well?" Seven rotations ago, one of Kora's energy swords, his family's heirloom to be exact, suffered damage from a plasma grenade after being... misplaced. Most of the damage had been exterior, but it had received a bit of stress during his fight with Stormbringer. It was a miracle it hadn't failed on him in the battle.

Once he had returned to the destroyer, he had handed it over to Orna for him to repair. The sword was now back in Kora's quarters, where it rightfully belonged. He typically did not carry it, and that was actually the first time he had used it in battle; it was more ceremonial than anything else. "It performs perfectly, just as I had expected, Orna 'Kasamee." He said, praising the weapons master's skill, and adding respect by using his full name.

"I'm pleased, shipmaster." Orna smiled, delighted.

"I have another task for you," Kora began, taking out a datapad and handing it over to Orna.  
"Of course." Orna said, taking the datapad.  
"I wish for the modifications I've listed to be made to my armor and swords," Kora carried two swords at all times, though he did not often use both at once, "You will require the help of the Huragok, and I shall speak with them once you have them gathered."

"Shipmaster..." Orna breathed, his eyes wide in astonishment and his hands tightly gripping the datapad. "These, modifications... they are... they're..." He couldn't find the right word, and only looked up into Kora's eyes in response.  
"My opponent controls the storm, and will only grow more powerful. My equipment is not ready to tend with her, and so it must be adjusted, modified." Kora reasoned.  
Orna looked down at the datapad, and then back up at him, still in disbelief of all that his shipmaster asked of him. "I... It will take time... even with the Huragok working on it..."  
"Place the majority of the remaining Huragok on this project, leave the minimal for ship-wide maintenance." Kora turned around, ready to head to his quarters. "Inform me once the Huragok are assembled."

"Y-yes, shipmaster!" Orna called out as Kora walked away. He took one more look at the list before rushing off to hunt down the destroyer's many Huragok.

* * *

Once secured within his own quarters, with the door locked, Kora activated the long-range, discreet, communications device he had installed in his quarters. It came alive, and the response was immediate.

_"Greetings, Shipmaster 'Koramai~"  
_"Any new developments?" Kora asked, wanting to get straight down to business.  
_"Military-wise or the girls?"  
_"The females."

_"Stormbringer woke up."  
_"Have they reached a decision?"  
_"It's pending."  
_"How long?"  
_"The morning, at least."  
_"I see."

_"Now, how about _you _tell me something I'd like to hear?"_

Kora crossed his arms, and closed his eyes as he spoke. "The fleet master has ordered for there to be no unauthorized offense for seven rotations against the humans. Our forces will maintain and reinforce our positions, but there will be few, if any, attacks." He opened his eyes and looked into the eyes across from him. "That will be all."

_"Until next time, shipmaster." _With a small bow, the figure disappeared, and Kora turned the device off. There had been nothing more for him to ask, as he already knew where the 77th would strike next.

After all, there was only one way for them to go to get out of the city that they call Dustin.

* * *

**Battalion Headquarters**

"The... other side of the planet...?" Mikoto breathed, her eyes widening.  
"Yes..." Uiharu affirmed, her voice low.

Their way home... it was all the way over on the opposite side of the planet? The farthest possible place it could be. How were they going to find it...? How could they even get over there? It's not some place you can just walk to! And, even if they could get there, what about this so-called Covenant?

Just what are they?

No, it doesn't matter what these aliens are! They tried to hurt her friends, and they've killed so many others, just like they killed Cook and Ryan! Her teeth grinded against each other as her hands balled up into fists, her fingernails biting into her skin. These aliens, these murderers, are her enemies! Every single one of them!

She'd make them _pay_.

Then, as suddenly as it came, the anger vanished, and Mikoto instantly loosened, confused. _Where did _that_ come from...? _She had the right to be angry, but it had just _washed_ over her for that one instant. It was like she had been filled with an unholy rage, before, suddenly, she was calm again. Then, she set it aside. She just didn't know.

"Uiharu," Mikoto began, moving on, "those aliens we fought, the.. Covenant. Just... what are they?"

"Ah..." Uiharu breathed, looking away from Mikoto's eyes, "they're..." Seeming reluctant to give the answer, she turned to Saten, only to find that the girl had taken a seat against the wall, a sad look in her eyes. Realizing it was up to her to explain everything, Uiharu accepted it with a deep breath and sat down next to Mikoto on the bed, Kuroko still asleep. "The Covenant... is a collection of alien races that declared war against humanity..."

_Against... humanity?_

"Before I continue, Misaka-san, I need to tell you about... everything." Mikoto nodded, listening. "We don't know if the device brought us to the future, or... something else, but the current year here is 2552..." Mikoto's eyes widened. _That's... that's more than 500 years into the future!_

"Espers do not exist here, and they have no records of there ever being an Academy City. So, that's why they believe... we might be in a reality different from our own." She looked down, her eyes turning sad as Mikoto's eyes only widened more at the prospect of another reality. "...When humanity achieved star-flight and started colonizing hundreds of worlds, they eventually came into contact with the Covenant at the colony world of Harvest..."

The girl wiped her moistening eyes, sniffling as she forced herself to continue. "The Covenant... declared humanity... an affront to their gods... and... they..."

Saten spoke up as tears streamed down Uiharu's face, her voice somber and low. "They attacked the planet, and burned it with plasma..." She looked into Mikoto's eyes, sadness and underlying anger in her own eyes.. "Misaka... they killed three million people...!" She cried out, hugging her knees to her chest.

Mikoto's eyes widened, her fingers clenching the sheets in her hands. _Three... million? _After the shock came anger. _H-how... could they? 'An affront to their gods'!? All those people...! _Then, Saten said something that made Mikoto freeze. "But, that... was just the beginning..."

"...It... started in 2525..." Uiharu muttered, her cheeks stained with tears as Mikoto snapped her head back at her, anger instantly forgotten. _The year is... 2552. That means the war... has been going on for 27 years... _Uiharu took a deep breath, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. "As of now... the expected number of casualties... exceeds twenty-three b-billion..."

Mikoto's face paled, and the world seemed to have come to a stop. Did she... hear just right...? 23... _billion _people...? That... that couldn't... How could...? How could there be... so many? It... it couldn't be right... N-no, it had to be wrong... It... had to be...

But the look in their eyes, the tears rolling down Uiharu's cheeks, told Mikoto everything.

It's true.

There's an alien race, no, a _collection _of alien races on a religious genocidal campaign against humanity. They've killed 23 billion people and, if they burnt 'Harvest' with plasma, the first human colony they came across, how many more colonies have been burned...?

How else... could there be so many dead...?

_23 billion people..._

Uiharu sniffled as she tried to keep the tears back. "The... UNSC, United Nations Space Command, the military..." She took a deep, trembling breath. "They've been... fighting the Covenant, trying to hold them back, but... the Covenant outnumbers them and has superior technology. They've... been losing planet after... after planet...!"

Uiharu looked like she was about to burst back into tears at any moment, so Mikoto did the only thing that she could think of to help ease the pain. She took Uiharu into her arms, hugging the girl. Uiharu immediately wrapped her arms around Mikoto, burying her head into her chest as she cried. With Uiharu this close to her, Mikoto could smell the scent of her flowers, and she felt such sympathy... Sympathy for the innocent, delicate girl in her arms; sympathy for the countless number of people that have been lost to this war; and, sympathy for those who are the ones fighting the war... the UNSC. It was just... a sudden wave of sympathy spurred on by the flowery scent.

She hugged Uiharu even tighter.

Ruiko looked up from her lap to see Misaka and Uiharu embracing each other, Uiharu's body softly trembling as she tried to calm herself down. Before she knew what she was doing, Ruiko stood up and walked over to Misaka's other side. The brunette looked away from Uiharu and to her, and smiled. Ruiko wearily, sadly, smiled back and lanced her arms around Misaka, her head going up against her arm as the tears freely flowed.

Mikoto placed one arm around both Uiharu and Saten, and could feel the tears welling up in her own eyes. _So many lives... lost... to war..._

_So many..._

She cried with them.

* * *

Kuroko watched them, looking on as they all sought comfort from one another, and gave their own comfort back. She felt an inexplicable urge to join them, but she refrained... She just watched, knowing what was coming, for all of them. Without uttering a sound, she sighed, turning away from her Onee-sama and onto her other side. The bed wasn't big at all, so she was close enough to still feel Mikoto's presence, and the presence of her friends, even if she wasn't looking at them.

Feeling sleepy, worn-out from having worried so much the past week, she let the sweet temptation wash over her, lulling her back into a deep slumber.

* * *

Mikoto didn't know how long they sat like that, but when they finally broke apart, there were no more tears. They sat there in silence for a few moments, Mikoto looking up at the ceiling as Uiharu dried her eyes and as Saten glanced over at the sleeping Kuroko before starting to poke her in the cheek.

Saten giggled. "Shirai looks so peaceful when she's sleeping." She said, her tone of voice sounding much better than before.  
"So, why are you poking her?" Mikoto asked, watching the scene.  
"Ah, Saten-san!" Uiharu exclaimed, leaning forward and trying to get Saten off of Kuroko.  
"Onee-sama..." Kuroko muttered in her sleep, before biting Saten's finger.

"Ah, she bit me!" Saten shrieked, pulling back.  
"Shhh! You'll wake her up!" Uiharu whispered, sharply.  
Mikoto smiled, looking away from the two girls and laying her hand on Kuroko's head. Despite the growing noise, she was still sleeping. _She must have been really exhausted. _Mikoto thought, running her hand through the redhead's hair.

Then, as Uiharu and Saten started to get louder, Mikoto remembered something, something that she needed to ask. "Uiharu." She said, her voice instantly getting the girl's attention on her. "What did the military say...? Are they... going to help us?" She asked, her voice quiet.

Uiharu and Saten both settled down, finally growing quiet. "Misaka-san," Uiharu began after a moment's pause, her eyes not meeting Mikoto's own, "the military _has _offered to help us... on one condition..."  
Mikoto gulped, not liking where this was going. "What... condition?"

Uiharu looked into her eyes, making firm eye contact. "They want us... to help them win this battle."


	6. Conflict

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo**

**Updated as of 3/3/2016**

* * *

**Covenant-Held City of Klaxon (Midnight)  
****October 6th**

A teenager with spiky black hair and a small beard on his chin sat up against the wall, holding his palm up and watching the flames hovering above it. His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist, putting out the flames before looking up at the ceiling. One week is how long he and his friends have been in this world, and it's a miracle that they are still alive after having landed in the midst of _aliens_. If those soldiers hadn't been around, they'd be dead.

His fists tightened, Ryouta not noticing the pain as his fingernails dug into his palms. _This world is the place where the device sent us, so does that mean that _she _is here too? In this world, where aliens try to kill anyone they see!? _His teeth clenched down hard as flames started to dance above his hands as he felt both helpless and scared... so scared. _Please, just please... let her be safe._

"Okahara," Ryouta looked from the ceiling to one of the 'UNSC' marines, barely recognizing him from the others as Corporal Kaiser, "you... okay?" The man asked, glancing down at the flames that Ryouta hadn't even noticed were alive.

"Yeah..." He muttered falsely, putting the flames out and relaxing both his fists and his teeth.  
"If you say so." Kaiser shrugged and headed on over to check on the tall woman sleeping on the floor.

Ryouta watched the marine for a few moments before turning his head and looking over at his friends who were on the opposite end of the basement. There were only two of them, but they were close friends of his and he could trust them with his life. They wouldn't abandon him, and they wouldn't betray him. Most importantly, they were as determined as he was.

It didn't matter how dangerous this world is.

As if reading his thoughts, both of his friends, a girl by the name of Bando Yuki and a man simply called Shinobu, looked over at him. Yuki smiled, bright and cheerful as always as Shinobu simply gave him a nod. _The three of us know what we're fighting for, even if we have to risk our lives... nothing will change that._

_Nothing at all._

* * *

**Battalion Headquarters (Noon)  
October 5th  
**

"W-what?" Mikoto asked, wondering if she had just heard Uiharu right. _The UNSC wants us... to help them win this battle?_

Uiharu took a deep breath before starting to explain. "...The planet we're on right now is called Ballast, an industrialized colony world." There was a sad look in her eyes as she spoke. "Two weeks ago, the Covenant launched a full-scale invasion of the colony, catching it completely off guard. Very few people were able to be evacuated in time, and there are millions in hiding all over the planet...

"The UNSC has been on the defensive, trying their best to protect the civilians and defeat the Covenant. But the Covenant is relentless... and they outnumber the UNSC 3-to-1." She looked down at the ground, her voice heavy. "After seeing what you and Shirai-san can do, they want you... to use your powers to help them take the planet back..."

"...I see." Mikoto muttered, looking down at Kuroko. She had no reservations about fighting the Covenant now; she _wanted _to end this war and protect these people. If that meant placing her life on the line, so be it. But... she worried about her friends. They wanted Kuroko to fight too...? Can't they just make due with her?

"Misaka... they also want my and Saten-san's help." Uiharu suddenly said, and Mikoto whipped her head around.  
"They want... your help?" Mikoto asked, shocked. In no way did she mean to insult them, but Uiharu was a Level 1 and Saten a Level 0. How could the UNSC want _them_ to fight too!?  
"That's right..." Uiharu whispered.  
"But why!?" Mikoto snapped, making Uiharu jump. "I can handle this myself! No one else has to fight!" She cried, panicking.

"We won't let you fight alone!" Saten suddenly yelled, startling her. Mikoto turned her head and found herself looking into Saten's determined eyes that shone with a brilliant flame. "Misaka, we're not going to let you risk your life by yourself. Whatever we can do to help, we'll do! You're not in this alone!"

"Saten-san's right!" Uiharu agreed, her tone one of utter confidence. "We'll help in any way we can." She declared, the same fire burning in her eyes.

Mikoto looked between them, wide-eyed. _What are they thinking...? This isn't anything like we faced in Academy City! We could... die here._

_I can't let them risk their lives just like that!_

* * *

_Misaka... we're here for you. Don't try to shut us out just because we're not strong like you or Shirai! _Ruiko thought, watching Misaka. She could see that the brunette was scared for their safety, but that didn't matter anymore! Too many people are dying; they have to do something! No matter how small it is, they _need_ to help. That's what drove her, despite not having any ability. She wasn't just going to stand back and watch more people die!

Just because Misaka didn't like them risking their lives, Ruiko wasn't just going to do nothing. She didn't care what Misaka thought! This is _her _choice.

* * *

_Please, Misaka-san... _Kazari was standing up, hands clasped together as she looked with pleading eyes at the brunette. _We're your friends, so... we won't let you do this on your own. Please, let us do this... We _can _help, and we will. We can do more than you think. They've already started preparing us for this, so, please... say yes._

_We understand the risks..._ Kazari's expression grew somber, but the burning flame in her eyes did not waver. _But we're not going to back down. This is something we have to do._

* * *

"No..." Mikoto's voice came out shaky, afraid. "No!" A spark of electricity flew about her and the lights flickered. "No one else is going to fight! I'll do this myself!"

"Misaka-san!"  
"Misaka!"

The two girls cried out, but the look in Mikoto's eyes shone with such a fierce determination that they both fell silent. She wasn't going to let her friends be put in harm's way. She wasn't going to let them fight in this war! She was going to protect them!

"I can't accept that." The man's sudden voice caused everyone to look over towards the door, where Lieutenant Saionji was standing. His face was set in a rough expression, and his eyes were locked with Mikoto's. "It is either all of you, or none of you. It's as simple as that." He said as he walked into the room and up to the girls, where Kazari lowered herself back down on the bed under his scrutinizing gaze.

"But-!" Mikoto started to protest, but was cut off by the lieutenant.

"Listen up." He said, an aura of authority surrounding him, causing even Mikoto to reluctantly stay quiet. "There's only one reason for you to help us, and that's to get home. You have no obligation to the people of this world, and you will likely never see us again even after you go home, so there is absolutely no reason for you to fight."

Uiharu's hands tightened together. "That doesn't matter..." She began to whisper, Saionji looking away from Mikoto and to her. "Whether they're from our world... or yours, that doesn't matter!" She shouted, her eyes locking with his.  
"They're people, just like everyone else... and we have to help them!" Saten said, her determined look unwavering.  
"That's right..." Mikoto muttered in agreement, looking down at the floor.

Saionji gave a small nod, satisfied with their answer, but he wasn't finished there. "Even if it means fighting a war?"  
"Yes." All three said, and Mikoto's mood sank further.  
He frowned. "Do you really think you're cut out for this? You're just children, fourteen at the oldest, twelve at the youngest." His looked over each of them. "I have grown men and women; twenty, thirty, forty, and over that aren't even cut out for this. What makes me think you four are?"  
Saten stood up, standing unflinching in his gaze. "You don't know until you try us out. We won't disappoint you!" She said with a grin.

"...Are you girls really ready for this?" He asked, and Uiharu joined Saten.  
"Yes." They said, but Mikoto could no longer just sit still and stay quiet.

"Lieutenant, I'm the only one that should fight!" She yelled, standing up in a blaze of brown hair and causing her friends to take a step back to either side of her. "I don't understand... why you want everyone else to fight too!"

Saionji nodded. "I understand your concern, Misaka-san. I'll tell you why." He said, and his unexpected response surprised Mikoto. She stood back and listened to him, and all three sets of eyes were on him. "You girls are espers, but despite only two of you being high level espers, all of you are a weapon."

"A... weapon?" Mikoto breathed, blinking. _What... does he mean by that?_

"Yes. A single, powerful weapon. Each one of you makes up a component of that weapon, and without all the components, we would be left with a faulty, unstable weapon." He sighed, his own gaze going to the floor. "The reason we're allowing you a chance to fight with us is because of your abilities, despite your age." He looked towards Mikoto. "Misaka-san, you control electromagnetic waves amongst many other things. That alone is a huge advantage to us, and could devastate the Covenant army." He looked over to the sleeping Kuroko. "Shirai-san is able to instantly move herself, another, or an object to anywhere within an appropriate distance. She could plant a grenade right inside of a tank, or a bomb inside of an enemy base with the utmost of ease. There is an untold number of tactical advantages we could have just because of her."

He looked to Uiharu, the expression in his eyes almost unnoticeably becoming somber. "Uiharu-san, you don't have a power like Misaka-san or Shirai-san, but the speed at which you process data is invaluable in the command post. Furthermore, you're a smart girl, and I know you would make an excellent officer one day." He finally turned to Saten. "Saten-san, I'm sorry to say, but as an individual you have less value to us than a farmer with a pistol. But as part of a team, which you four girls are, you are very crucial to its success. Despite having no special ability like Misaka-san or Uiharu-san, you have spirit. I cannot stress how valuable that is in a soldier."

Saionji sighed, again addressing all three (confused) girls. "I know I've said that you four are all a weapon, but the fact remains that you're still human beings just like the rest of us... and that you're still just children. If this was another war, another enemy, we would never consider using children to fight. But this isn't a war for some idiotic belief, power, or land. This war is about our survival as a race. That's why... we're asking you for your help."

Saten stepped forward. "We're ready."  
Saionji shook his head. "No, you're not." His gaze made both Uiharu and Saten to turn and see Mikoto standing there with fists clenched, her eyes looking down at the floor.

"Misaka..." Saten whispered, awed into silence at the older girl's stubborn stand.  
"Misaka-san... why?" Uiharu whispered pleadingly, clutching the girl's sleeve.

Mikoto shook her head. "No... I can't let you do this..." She looked up at the lieutenant. "You want all of us to fight... You won't settle with just me!" She was mad, her whole body was starting to shake with rage. No way was she going to let them go through with this!

Saionji stared into her eyes as she glared back, and although she could see the pain in the man's eyes from having to turn to children to fight a war, and the pain of loss from the war, she refused to recognize it. She wouldn't allow herself to feel any sympathy in this situation, not when her friends' lives were in danger.

"I don't know what you're thinking with all of that mumbo jumbo about us being a weapon..." She nearly hissed as she brought her hand up to her chest, sparks of electricity crackling around it. "But **_I'm _**the only weapon here." Her voice was dark and held an eerie tone to it. Uiharu and Saten both felt shivers go down their spines as they listened, and Saten wondered just what was up with her. This didn't even sound like Mikoto talking!

"You seem to forget that you're still just a kid." Saionji muttered, his voice calm, but Uiharu noticed that, at his sides, his hands were clenched into fists. "And you're too stubborn to realize you need the help of your friends just to keep your own s-...!" He cut himself off, almost saying something that would start a wildfire. Mikoto was about to burst, ready to respond in kind to his insult, but what he said next gave her pause.

"...I'm sorry." He rubbed his forehead, shaking his head at his own foolishness. "There's something I need to show you, all of you. Hopefully... it'll help."  
The snakes of electricity around Mikoto died down as she unclenched her own fists. "What is it?" She huffed, crossing her arms, still glaring at the man.

"...You'll see..." Saionji walked around the girls and picked Kuroko up, the girl muttering a protest in her sleep. "But first, I'll show you to your room. Come with me." As he turned to walk out of the room, he looked down at the girl he held in his arms, sleeping peacefully with a sense of safety, and was reminded of his own daughter. He quickly looked away, his pace a little quicker.

As Ruiko started to follow the lieutenant, she looked over at the bed that had been Misaka's, and even Shirai's, for the past week. The redhead had slept with Misaka every night, and had stayed by her side whenever she had the time. As worried as Shirai had been, it was wonderful for Ruiko to see her sleeping so soundly; but if she was suddenly moved from a bed full of Misaka's presence to one that had not a trace of it, how well would she sleep then?

Ruiko ended up grabbing Misaka's pillow on the way out.

* * *

"Onee-sama..." Kuroko muttered in her sleep, snuggling the pillow to her chest as she dreamed of dancing with the girl of her dreams at some royal banquet. She giggled in her weird way and started to drool, getting Mikoto's pillow wet with saliva. She didn't even notice that she had been moved to another room.

* * *

"Lieutenant, you didn't want to show this to Shirai-san as well?" Kazari asked, looking up at the man as they walked down the hall. He hadn't woken Shirai-san up either when he started to ask them those questions. Was he just letting her rest, or was there another reason? She had been thinking about it ever since they reached their room.

"She's already made up her mind, I've seen it in her eyes." Saionji-san answered, a light frown on his face. "There's no changing her mind. She's determined." He sighed, and Kazari just barely caught his next words. "I wish you girls would think about this more..." He was looking away, and it crossed her mind that maybe she hadn't been meant to hear those words. So she said nothing about it.

"So... what exactly are you going to show us?" Ruiko asked, hands clasped behind her head. Misaka walked beside her, but the two girls didn't so much as glance at each other. The bitterness from their fight was still in the air, and though Ruiko was trying to get over it, she could tell Misaka was still lingering on it. _I know she cares about us... but she can't make our decisions on her own!_

Ruiko took a deep breath, resisting the urge to sigh. It would only add fuel to the fire if Misaka noticed.

Saionji glanced back at her, his eyes mirroring the somber tone in his voice. "I want you girls to understand what you're getting yourselves into." He looked away. "So... I'm going to show you a video recording from the Battle of Sargasso."

"A video recording?" Ruiko asked, interested yet wary at the same time.  
"Yes... taken from the perspective of an army corporal stationed on the planet."

"Sargasso..." Misaka muttered for the first time since they left the makeshift infirmary. "Cole mentioned that earlier... It was a defeat, right?" She asked, looking up.  
Saionji didn't so much as glance over his shoulder. "Yes." There was some weight to his voice, and it was a dozen more steps before he continued. "The footage is from a unit that was in the capital city at the time of the invasion."

The lieutenant stopped in front of a door, opening it and gesturing them inside. "This is the room. Take a seat." Uiharu softly nodded and entered the room, the other girls following. There were well over two dozen chairs in the rather large room along with a projector and a laptop on top of a table towards the back. Uiharu took a seat in the middle row on the left side of the room, Saten sitting down beside her as Mikoto sat down on the back row on the right side of the room.

"Watch closely." Saionji said, his voice soft. Uiharu gripped the fabric of her pants, but Saten laid her hand down on top of hers and gave her a reassuring smile. It helped, but she was still nervous about what they were going to see. Mikoto merely sulked in her seat, not really concerned with what the video would show. She'd already been in close combat with the Covenant, and she'd seen someone die right in front of her eyes.

So what did she have to be nervous about?

"It's starting... now."

* * *

"Gamma squad to Delta squad, come in. I repeat, Gamma to Delta, come in, over." The helmet's wearer looked up towards what appeared to be a member of the city militia, wearing old combat gear and weapons. As he looked, the girls could see that they were behind a barricade of cars, easily two dozen men and women situated down the line along with a single warthog.

A trooper came into view, snatching the radio out of the militia man's hand. "Gamma is gone, sergeant. Face it. The Covenant's heading this way." The man threw it down, walking away as the other man hurriedly grabbed his rifle. "It hasn't even been two hours since they landed!" The army trooper, the squad's sergeant, muttered angrily.

"Sergeant Hunter, what are we going to do?" The corporal asked, and the sergeant turned on him.  
"We're going to buy some time for those civvies at the spaceport, Jones. Get as many of them off-world as we can."  
"Sir, we're going to die here!" A trooper yelled from down the line.  
"That's right. And If I see any one of you turn and run, I'll shoot you myself!" Hunter yelled back, and his tone made it clear he wasn't bluffing.

"We've got movement!" Someone yelled, and everyone scrambled to their spots, aiming their guns down the street.  
"Don't fire until I give the command!" The sergeant yelled from his spot next to Jones.

Figures were coming down the street, and it wasn't long before the troopers and the militia could make out that they weren't aliens. "Civilians coming up, don't shoot!" Hunter shouted as he climbed over the hood. "Jones, Fletcher, with me!" Jones and Fletcher, probably the trooper who had ran his mouth, climbed over the cars and all three headed for the group of civilians.

There was a woman, her eight year-old daughter, and three men in the group, one of which had a hunting rifle and another had a pistol. As the troopers jogged up to them, the sergeant called out to them. "What's the situation? Where did you come from?"

Before anyone could answer, Fletcher shouted. "Covenant!" Jones and Hunter snapped their heads down the street, and an alien vehicle the girls haven't seen before just turned the corner with four elites jogging along on either side of it.

"Go, go! Back to the barricade!" Hunter yelled, pushing the civilian in front of him forward. "Hold your fire!" He yelled back to his men as Jones and Fletcher backed up with him, their rifles centered down the street. But the elites were holding back, until the gunner saw the men outside of the barricade and the group of civilians. "Covering fire!" Hunter yelled just as the gunner opened up on them.

Jones and Fletcher returned fire on the alien vehicle behind cars, the roar of a .50 cal soon joining in. The elites on foot spread out, taking cover in alleys or behind cars, the ones with carbines and needle rifles opening up as the vehicle swayed side-to-side.

"Jones, get the civilians back to the barricade, we'll cover you!" The sergeant called out, and Jones complied, keeping his head down as he moved through the maze of abandoned cars to the one Hunter was behind with the civilians. "You two stay here, the rest of you go with him!" Hunter said, looking at the two who had guns. Their faces were flooded with fear, but they still nodded. "Focus your fire on that turret! Now!" Hunter popped up, firing his battle rifle as the two armed men joined him.

The plasma paused for a moment, and Jones took that as his cue. "Go! Keep your heads down!" He yelled, urging the group on as they made a mad dash for the barricade. Just as they were nearly there, a hail of plasma descended on them as the turret opened up again.

A stray bolt caught the woman on her leg and she cried out as she fell, her daughter clinging onto her. "Mom!"

"Lord help us!" Jones cried, grabbing the woman around the waist. "You have to walk! Hurry!" Just as he said that, a bolt struck the other civilian square in the chest as he came to help, his body falling right in front of the woman's eyes. Gritting her teeth, she struggled up on her good leg and they limped along to the barricade, passing through a gap in the cars as the militia laid down more covering fire.

Jones walked the woman away from the cars, lying her down and then cutting half of her pants leg off. "I'll fix your leg up right away, ma'am." He said, looking down at the charred skin, the sight of it making Mikoto's stomach churn.

"Mom, are you okay? Mom..." The girl sobbed, clinging onto her mother as the woman tried to soothe her.

A sudden explosion made Jones whip his head around, seeing a portion of the building to the right of their position getting a chunk blown out of it, and he caught sight of a shotgun flying through the air. "Karns!" One of the militia yelled, dashing into the building.

"Get back here! Gah, Gibson, after him! Clear that building!" The militia sergeant shouted over the roar of gunfire, just as Hunter jumped over a car with only one of the two civilians behind him. Fletcher was nowhere in sight.

"Elites are advancing! Focus your fire, pop those shields!" He yelled, turning around and opening fire as Jones turned his attention back on the woman.  
"It's going to be alright, sweetie." The woman told her daughter, an edge of pain in her voice as she wiped away the girl's tears.

"Those elites keep taking cover! How are we supposed to kill them!?"  
"We don't have to kill them! Just buy some time!"  
"But ho-" The man's sentence was abruptly cut off.  
"Man down!"

"Mommy!" The girl clung to her mother's chest, hugging her tight.  
"Shh... It's alright... Everything's going to be okay..." The mother assured her.

As gunfire and the occasional dying scream roared behind him, Jones tore out the bandages and started wrapping her leg. "Almost finished!" It was a rough, hurried job, even Mikoto could see that. But she also knew it would have to do.

Then a blood-clenching sound made both Mikoto's heart skip a beat and Corporal Jones' hands freeze.

"...Mom?" A timid, scared voice asked. Ever so slowly, Jones turned his head to look at the woman, only to see a needle where her left eye had been. "Mom! Mooooom!" The girl yelled, trying to cling to her but Jones grabbed her and shielded her with his body as the needle shattered, spewing gore and shards. He looked at her, at the gaping hole in her face, the girl breaking out of his arms and grabbing her mother's hand. "Mommy! Say something!" She screamed, breaking down sobbing.

Mikoto's and Saten's wide eyes were glued onto the screen, Uiharu's hands over her mouth. The sound of a car blowing up snapped neither any of the girls or Jones out of it, none of the dying screams or shouts registering in their minds. It wasn't until Sergeant Hunter spun Jones around, their eyes settling on his bare head and the patch of scorched skin on it, that they could make anything out again.

"We've got to go! Grab the girl!" He yelled, ducking as plasma flew overhead.  
"S-sir... the position." Jones weakly muttered.  
"Take a look!"

The corporal looked around, and the girls could see the extent of the damage. Cars were burning and corpses were lying everywhere. A man clutched what remained of his left arm, his cries reaching to the sky. Another held his bleeding side, but no one moved to help him. The trooper who had been manning the hog's gun was lying down with a hole through his helmet, and half of the militia sergeant's body was burnt to the bone. Less than a half dozen men and women were still alive and shooting, two of which were laying down suppressing fire on the roof of the building to their right.

That was when Hunter grabbed Jones and brought him face-to-face. "Grab the girl." He ordered, his gruff command sounding the same as a threat.  
"Y-yes sir!" Jones muttered, spinning around as soon as the sergeant released him. He took the girl in his arms, pulling her away from her dead mother. She struggled, tears running down her face, but he wasn't letting go of her this time.

"Reed, take point!" Hunter ordered, the trooper hurrying away from her post and joining them as they started down an alley.  
"What about the others, sir?" Jones asked, cradling the crying girl to his chest as he followed Reed.  
"They'll buy us time! We _have _to get this girl to the spaceport!"  
"Yes sir!" The corporal answered, a reluctant tone in his voice.

"Reed, turn left!" Hunter ordered as they came to the end of the alley, but before the private could turn, a sword came out from her right and impaled her against the wall. A spec ops elite glared at them, but before it could release its hold on her, Hunter slammed into it with his entire body. "RUN!" He shouted, slamming the butt of his rifle into the elite's shields. "Jones, run!"

Jones took one last look at him before sprinting past. "Yes, sir!" He yelled, not looking back. He kept running, sprinting through alleys as he headed for the spaceport. The sound of gunfire behind him quickly faded out, and it became eerily silent save for the girl's sobs. The corporal looked down at her, his hand rubbing the top of her head as he slowed down, coming to a halt at the edge of an alley that led out into the next street over.

As Jones looked down each side of the street, shielding the girl's eyes from the corpses and burning cars, the distant whine of a Banshee could be heard. He quickly ducked back into the alley, looking towards the sky. A pair of the alien fighters soared by overhead, banking to the right and starting to circle around. That's when his eyes landed on an overturn car down the street, where an old man and his wife were hiding behind. The next thing the girls saw was a fuel rod slamming into the car, killing the couple.

Mikoto wanted to look away, she wanted to stop watching this. But she couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen; she couldn't even blink. But, eventually, as the Banshees' whine faded away and Jones headed down the street, she was able to turn her gaze to Uiharu and Saten. Uiharu's hand grasped Saten's own, but her eyes were dead-set on the screen. Saten was biting her lower lip, her eyes occasionally glancing over at Uiharu before switching back to the video.

Finally, Mikoto looked towards the back, and she saw Saionji sitting down in a chair, bent over with his hands clasped together as he looked down into his lap. He wasn't even facing the screen; rather, he faced the table. She looked away, not wanting him to catch her, and her eyes drifted back to the video where Jones was running up to a door.

"Open up! This is Corporal Robert K. Jones, 58th Recon! Hurry up!" He called out, banging on the door. It was several seconds of yelling before, finally, the door opened up and Jones found himself looking down the barrels of several police officers.

"Get in! Jeffcott, Benedict, close those doors!" One of the officers ordered, the men quickly hurrying past Jones to re-barricade the doors. "Where's the rest of your unit, corporal?" Jones looked at him, not saying a word, before hurrying past, heading for the outside launch pads.

Jones passed by another barricade, where a lone officer was sitting up against the sandbags, flipping through the thin pages of a bible with a trembling hand. After climbing over, he slowed down, looking around. There were three evacuation shuttles, and there were easily over a couple thousand people there. One of the shuttles had already closed its doors, and another looked like they were already over capacity, but the last one was still taking people in stride.

That's the one he headed for. Right through a crowd that was full of people pushing and shoving, everyone killing for a ride out of the city, off of the planet. The corporal took a deep breath before charging into the crowd, shielding the girl with his arms as he knocked a guy down into several others. However, his momentum didn't keep, and he soon found himself trapped in the midst of it. Shouting for people to move didn't work.

But there was no way he was going to let the Covenant kill this girl.

That's when Jones took out his sidearm, raised it up into the air, and pulled the trigger. Instantly the people around him moved back, the people in front of him moving aside when he aimed at them. He was able to move a few meters for every bullet, nearly using up a whole clip before he reached the shuttle.

But something was wrong, the two men that had been ushering people in were now shouting, one to the crowd and one over his ear-piece, and the roar of engines coming to life alerted Jones that the other two shuttles had closed their doors. The crowd only pushed harder, knocking one of the guys down to the ground. Before anyone could trample over him, the other one grabbed his pistol and shot over their heads twice.

"Everyone back, NOW!" He shouted as his friend got back up onto his feet, taking out his own pistol and aiming it at the crowd. "Anderson, close the door!" The man shouted over the radio, not lowering his weapon.

"Wait!" Jones shouted, pushing up next to the door of the shuttle. A gun trained on him, and out of reflex he aimed back.  
"No more passengers." The man threatened, his eyes cold.

The reticule was now pointed directly at the man's head, but the noise behind him made Jones look back, seeing the crowd behind him. Gritting his teeth, he lowered his magnum as the shuttle bay doors closed. "Everyone away from the launch pad!" He shouted, raising his gun into the air and firing twice to get their attention. The crowd pushed back, moving away from the shuttle as all three ascended into the air. As they flew off, three Longswords, one trailing smoke, joined them as their escort.

"They're gone." Someone muttered behind him.  
"D-don't worry, they'll send more..." Someone else weakly assured him.

But even the girls could tell that was the last of the shuttles. There would be no more. As if to emphasize this, an explosion in the distance followed by muted gunfire and plasma fire sounded out from inside of the spaceport.

The Covenant were inside.

As the crowd panicked, some taking off and others screaming, Jones set the girl down. "Listen, girl, you have to hide. Run away and hide." She shook her head, grabbing his arm and not letting go as tears stained her cheeks. He gently broke away from her, standing up. "Run." He commanded, and the girl looked at him for a moment longer before taking off. After watching her disappear, the corporal turned and headed for the second barricade, slamming a fresh clip into his magnum.

An assault rifle opened up as the lone officer shot off rapid short bursts of fire, plasma bolts slamming into everything around him. Suddenly, he went from those short bursts to full auto, falling onto his back as an Ultra charged the barricade, jumping on top of it and firing a short burst into the officer's chest. Jones yelled, charging the elite as he opened fire. Three shots popped its shield, but before he could get off the fourth, the elite opened fire.

The next thing the girls saw was the sky, and then the upside-down crowd of civilians as the helmet fell to the ground. There was no more gunfire, and Jones was silent. Then the Ultra walked past into view, facing the crowd. Several other elites joined him, and they aimed their rifles.

Mikoto closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she waited for the screams. But they didn't come, and she opened her eyes to see that the elites were putting away their rifles. A small glimmer of hope rising up in her chest was stomped out when Jun drew his sword, the minors and majors with him activating their plasma daggers.

The video stopped.

* * *

Mikoto looked back at Saionji, who had his fingers on the laptop. "That's enough." He said, waiting for Uiharu and Saten to face him before continuing. "This is what you're getting yourselves into. That day nearly the entire population of Sargasso was wiped out. Those shuttles that took off? They got intercepted as they left the atmosphere." He said, his voice stern. "This is the one elite responsible for that _massacre_." He pressed something and Mikoto turned back to look at the screen. "Kora 'Koramai."

In front of the helmet stood 'Koramai, his armor soaked with blood; but what laid behind him was what made Mikoto's face white. It was a sea of corpses; men, women, children, elderly. Then there was a flash of emotions in her mind; all at once she felt rage, grief, bewilderment, and shame. It made her head hurt and she flinched, but as quickly as it came it went. _What... was that?_

Her eyes went back to the screen just as 'Koramai walked forward, bending down and picking up the helmet. He placed it down, right side up, on Jones' chest, facing his feet. It showed several elites, all dripping with human blood, waiting for him. As they walked away, Saten turned back to Saionji.

"Lieutenant, what... what about that girl?" She asked, her voice shaky. Beside her Uiharu's face was frozen, her eyes still seeing the sea of corpses. Tears started to flow down her cheeks and she finally looked away from the screen, grabbing Saten's arm for comfort.

Saionji's face softened just the slightest. "Miraculously... there was one survivor." His eyes turned back to the screen, and they all looked back at it. The helmet had been pushed away, laying on its side to reveal a blood-soaked girl crying over Jones. The sheer amount of blood on her kept anyone from sighing a breath of relief. "Most of the time... there are no survivors." At that he ended the video.

"Remember this." The lieutenant continued as he shut everything down. "Are you prepared to see these things happen in person? Are you prepared to watch as your friends and comrades fall down around you?" He looked down, his hand gripping the table. "Are you prepared... to be the last one left alive? To lose everything... you hold dear?"

No one answered him.

They couldn't.

"...You have the rest of the day to think about it; go back to your room and stay there. I'll have someone bring your food."

* * *

Saten was lying in her bed while Uiharu sat on the edge of it. Mikoto sat on her bed holding her legs, Kuroko next to her. Everything Mikoto had seen had only strengthened her resolve to fight and her desire to keep her friends from danger. _But... s_he looked over at Uiharu and Saten, her eyes studying their expressions, w_hy do their faces bother me so much...? It looks like they're thinking it over, so... shouldn't I be glad?_

Earlier her friends had looked so confident, so determined. But now Mikoto could only see doubt and fear in their eyes, and that made her feel worse than what she had felt before. _I don't want them to fight... But, seeing them like this... I can't stand it! _She gritted her teeth, looking down into her lap.

She didn't know what to do anymore.

* * *

_Maybe... Lieutenant Saionji is right. _Kazari somberly thought, her eyes looking down at her hands. _We're... just children. We shouldn't be fighting in a war... _Her hands tightened around each other as the image of a mountain of corpses came to mind. _But... I don't want to see that again. I couldn't bear it... I was so scared!_

Kazari turned her eyes, glancing over at Saten-san. _I don't want to see her get hurt... I don't want to lose her... _She looked over at Misaka-san and Shirai-san. _I don't want to lose anyone... _She looked back down at her hands. _Maybe we shouldn't fight... Misaka-san doesn't want us to fight, maybe... she's right._

_But all of those people... They need help, and Saionji-san made it clear how we could help. It's dangerous, but is there... any other way? No, there's not. So... why do I still feel this way? But, even Misaka-san, as powerful as she is, was hurt so badly... she could have been killed._

_The same... can happen to any of us... _

_In just an instant..._

_What... do I do?_

* * *

_I want to help... I want to fight... I want to protect everyone! This planet, its people, my friends... But what can I possibly do? Sure, they've been teaching me to shoot, to fight, and training me... But I'm just a kid to them. I don't have their endurance, their experience... I'm nothing like Misaka, Shirai, or even Uiharu! I don't know what Saionji meant by spirit, but it's not a power like Misaka's or a talent like Uiharu's._

_I'm just... Saten Ruiko, your everyday normal girl that likes to beat things up with a baseball bat._

_...I guess jokes aren't going to make me feel better._

Ruiko sighed and looked across the room over at Misaka. _Maybe she's right... It's too dangerous for us, and Misaka's the one with the power. Maybe it would be better for her to fight by herself, without worrying about us... But, I couldn't bear leaving her alone. We're friends, so we work together... We're a team, just like Saionji said._

_Or, maybe... none of us should fight._

_Saionji and all of those other marines are tough, so they can do it by themselves, right? Why would they need the help of a bunch of kids? Why would they even want our help...?_

_I don't know anymore..._

* * *

Mikoto couldn't take it any longer. She had to get her mind off of her friends' disheartened expressions, so she glanced around for anything that could take her attention away from them. That's when her eyes landed on three cellphones lying on top of a small desk in-between their beds. Kuroko's, Uiharu's, and Saten's were there, but hers was nowhere to be found.

Deciding it was better than nothing, Mikoto got off of the bed and walked over. "Where's my phone?" She asked, forcing herself to sound normal rather than let the aching in her heart to show.

Saten looked over, partially raising herself up in bed. "Um... It wasn't on you." She said after a moment's thought, her voice soft and low.

_I lost it? _Mikoto knew she had had it with her, so she must've dropped it somewhere. Probably during the fight, which remembering _that_ didn't help her mood any. But maybe someone had picked it up? She didn't think so, but it was better than letting her mind stray. "Can I use your phone, Saten?" She asked, picking it up and then remembering where they were. "Do they even work?"

"One of the marines messed with them." Saten answered, shrugging. "He said it was his hobby, and he got all of them working again. He even made this ugly charger." She giggled, climbing out of bed and showing Mikoto the charger that was plugged into the wall by the desk. Just like she said, it was an ugly little thing with three cords coming out of it. The change in mood was welcome, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Uiharu smiling a little.

"Oh, and go ahead. I don't mind." Saten smiled at her and Mikoto thanked her, before flipping it open. A little smile appeared on her face when she saw that the wallpaper was of the four of them, their heads all squished together to fit in the frame. After looking at it for a moment, she looked up her number.

* * *

**CPV-Class Heavy Destroyer _Ultimate Salvation_**

Kora 'Koramai stood on the bridge, looking at a screen that displayed the human city that he had been in just a week ago. 'Sumee's old base was still there with the survivors of his battalion in it, still as unreinforced in the way of troops as before. The troops there had been busy strengthening their position, though; Stormbringer had terrified them and they were digging in as much as possible. However, in the way of vehicles and air, they only had three Banshees on standby from the _Bloodied Absolution_. All three pilots were aces, but Kora doubted it would help them when _she _came.

"Shipmaster, the heretic's cruiser has shown up on our sensors." A major informed him.  
"It's a trap, ignore it. Their destroyers likely lie in wait to flank us." From the destruction of the _Conviction_, Kora knew that the humans would rely on tricks and traps to destroy their ships.  
"The _Cleansing Charity _has already broken off to engage."  
"The humans wouldn't show themselves to us if they knew they couldn't handle both a destroyer and a frigate together. Send a warning to shipmaster 'Tagrahee, but even if he does not heed us, we shall _not _pursue."  
"Yes, shipmaster."

Kora changed the screen to show a map of his current area, watching as the _Cleansing Charity _continued on towards the human's cruiser which turned around and started moving into a mountain range. Before he could continue to observe the _Charity's _fate, one of his officers called out. "Incoming transmission from the _Reaper of Intent_, shipmaster."

"Bring it up."

The familiar face of the shipmaster of the _Reaper _appeared on screen, and he looked a bit impatient, just like the last time Kora had seen him onboard the _Tenacious Retribution_. "Shipmaster 'Mdamaee, to what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected call?"

Jul 'Mdamaee crossed his arms, glancing at something off screen before looking back at Kora. "Shipmaster 'Koramai, why do we simply lie in wait, unmoving as the humans use this time to recuperate? It was a foolish thing to stay silent for a week; but now we must wait _another_?" He growled, looking as angry as he was impatient. Jul was commonly a patient brother, but not when they're sitting still when they should be acting. "This is idiocy. We should continue our assaults, instead of letting them rest."

Kora developed a thoughtful pose, making it look like he was agreeing with Jul, though he was the one who had convinced the fleet master otherwise. "It is the fleet master's decision and we must obey it, though I can see why it is relevant that we do not let the humans regain their strength. They are a formidable foe, even their fleet is holding up against our own in this engagement, and the more we leave them alone gives them more time to reinforce their position and plan, and carry out, attacks."

"Then why do we do nothing?"  
"The appearance of Stormbringer."  
"The human who controls lightning..." Jul said to himself, the anger and impatience slowly leaving his eyes and being replaced with interest.  
"Yes, it has made 'Rithinee wary."  
"Too wary, perhaps. Even if it routed an entire battalion and kept from your blade, it is still but another _human_."  
"I-"

Before Kora could continue, a _strange _noise made not only Jul look at him in confusion, but also his entire command crew. He was as confused as they were, and wondered just _what _was making the noise. Looking down at his belt, he figured it was coming from Stormbringer's device that he had stolen. Sure enough, it _was _the green device's fault. As he wondered how to get it to stop making the noise, he flipped it open and saw a human's face on it along with: Saten Ruiko, Accept, Decline. What he did next was out of pure curiosity.

* * *

Mikoto didn't expect anyone to answer, so when someone did, she was surprised. "Hello?" She asked, speaking in English. They weren't in Japan anymore, and though Japanese still seemed to be a pretty present language on this planet, the dominant one was English.

_"Stormbringer..." _It was almost a whisper.

Mikoto froze, her hand tightening around the phone. She _knew _that voice, and it didn't belong to any human. It was _his _voice. The voice before everything went dark, the voice in her dream... "'Koramai..." She muttered, her eyes narrowing. The image of him standing in front of the helmet, blood running down his armor, fueled her anger.

The voice sounded more confident now. _"Shipmaster Kora 'Koramai of the CPV-Class Heavy Destroyer _Ultimate Salvation_." _He said, announcing a fuller title.

Mikoto felt like spitting at his title, but considering where she was she refrained from doing so. It looked like he had been the one to pick her phone up, and since he was now using it, he must have had a technician of his own to look at it. But, setting aside her anger, she knew this was her chance to find something out... from a murderer's perspective. "'Koramai, why... are you doing this?"

* * *

Kora had the device up by his head, considering that if he held it farther away he wouldn't be able to hear the familiar voice coming through it. He had been surprised when she could hear him, but he had went with it quickly, treating it as simple communication over a distance despite her being a human. However, her voice... it caught his attention.

_Her voice is soft, uncertain... She's not confident about something. She's at a lost of what to do, but what? _He quickly surmised, having heard that tone amongst some of his own comrades plenty enough times.

Kora's eyes narrowed in thought. What does she mean by 'doing this'? Does she refer to the war; to their extermination of the human race? But why would she ask him that; why would a human be interested in why they are doing this over two decades into the war? Shouldn't they already know why-

A realization dawned in his eyes.

_These human girls suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wearing strange clothing, speaking in a different language than their military, and wielding supernatural powers. Their movements were strange, as if they didn't know what was going on. They aren't UNSC, they aren't from this planet; they aren't... from this __world. They're warriors sent from someplace else, warriors that were thrust into this place._

_And they are uncertain. Uncertain about fighting?_

"Why?" Kora began, deciding to put on a little show. "Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instruments. Humanity is a blasphemy; you stand in the way of the Great Journey. We will be the ones to erase you from this galaxy." He said, his voice tinged with mock venom.

* * *

Mikoto's free hand clenched into a fist, a burning rage in her eyes at those words. _Will of the gods? A blasphemy? _"Go on all you want about your religion," she said, her voice laced with true venom, "but I'm not going to let you have your way. I'll end you, 'Koramai. You and your religion." Then she grinned. "You better be ready for me." _Next time, I'm not going to lose._

* * *

_'I'm.'_

_'I'll.'_

_'Me.'_

Kora's eyes narrowed once more, but not in thought. _She speaks of only herself. Not 'we', not 'us'. Do her friends not matter? Does she expect to fight alone? Is this why her voice sounded so uncertain? It seems she will not allow her friends to get involved in this. _He was speculating, but he was sure this was it.

_Foolish child._

"You expect to take me on by yourself?" Kora spoke, his voice deeper and more intimidating than before. "You think you alone have the power to kill me? You have no one to watch your back, no one to support you. Face me like that, and you _will_ die." He flipped the device shut, finished talking to her. He made sure the call was ended, and placed it back in his belt.

That was when Kora noticed not only Jul, but also his entire command crew (even the Unggoy assistants) staring at him. He glanced around the room, and then back up to Jul, finding himself in an awkward position. Fortunately, an officer brought it upon himself to break the silence.

"Shipmaster..."  
"...Yes?"  
"I've lost contact with the _Cleansing Charity_..."

* * *

The line cut off, and Mikoto found herself standing there with wide eyes. Could that stubborn elite be right? Could she really fight without her friends' help? She looked behind her, seeing that both Uiharu and Saten were watching closely. _But... I can't let them be placed in that kind of danger. _She didn't know who was right anymore, or if anyone was right. It frustrated her, and she couldn't bring herself to find any words to explain the conversation she had just had with 'Koramai.

So, she set the phone down and headed back to her bed in silence. Neither Uiharu nor Saten asked about it, and the silence reigned over the room until a marine came by with some food. Kuroko was still sleeping, so they set it aside for her and ate quietly.

After dinner, Uiharu sat down at the desk and started reading a manual, Saten passed the time by exercising, and Mikoto found herself crawling into bed. Funny, she'd been asleep for a week straight but she was already tired again. Or maybe she just had nothing else to do... and just wanted to stop thinking about everything for awhile.

It didn't take her long to fall asleep.

* * *

_Gunfire, plasma, and explosions filled the streets as she ascended the stairs, her active camouflage on and hiding her from view. She stepped out on the roof, spotting a trio of army troopers, including a sniper and his spotter. The third trooper turned around, aiming his rifle her way, but the camouflage worked and he looked around aimlessly._

_As he turned back around, she activated her sword, stepping forward. The trooper spun around, his eyes darting around before they fixed on her shimmering form and widened in fear. He screamed and opened fire, her camouflage failing as the bullets hit her shield, but she lunged at him, slashing across his torso and sending his body falling off of the roof._

_The spotter looked up in alarm, __making a grab for his sidearm but her blade was already sinking into his back. The sniper whirled around, the rifle pointed her way. The shot pierced her shields and glanced her shoulder armor, then her blade cut the rifle in half and, in the next moment, was buried in his chest._

_She deactivated her sword and opened the lance's comms channel. "General 'Buranee, the last of their snipers have been taken care of. Move forward at will."  
"Well done, 'Koramai. Flank the enemy from your side, catch them off guard while we advance."  
"Yes, gener-"_

_Someone else hurriedly entered their channel. "An enemy bomber broke through our fighters! All units be on the alert!"_

_Just as the warning came, she saw it heading straight for them. "Everyone get down!" She shouted just as the bombs came down on top of them._

_Everything turned black, and she didn't know how long she was out. When she finally woke up, she was sitting in the rubble, her back against part of the wall that still stood. Distant gunfire still sounded out, but it was a fair ways away. A dull pain was in every joint and limb of her body, but she could tell it was just bruises and cuts, nothing serious. But the pounding in her head was intense, and the constant beeping wasn't helping._

_Constant beeping...?_

_She focused her eyes, and, just as she thought, her shields were down and out... and they weren't recharging. Testing her active camouflage, she found it was no good. Her weapons were gone as well, so she was virtually helpless except her daggers. "...Special Operations Major 'Koramai reporting in. General 'Buranee, report." There was no response, and that's when she noticed the channel wasn't working. Her helmet had been damaged, and the entire battlenet was down._

_It would appear that she was on her own._

_She grunted as she tried to get up out of the rubble, but the pounding in her head only intensified. She repressed a moan of agony, and that's when she heard something shifting around in the rubble._

_"Looks like one of them are still alive. Kill it."_

_Two troopers approached her, their guns aimed at her. Their eyes were alit with anger, and in her state she stood no chance. Just as everything seemed lost, several bolts slammed into the one who had spoken, sending him crashing to the ground. "Sergeant!" The other yelled, shifting his aim right before a carbine round went through his helmet._

_A minor came running up, his former blue armor covered entirely in dust. "Swordsmaster, can you walk?" He called out, helping her out of the rubble.  
__"My head is pounding... I can't by myself." She admitted after a moment's thought.  
"We'll help you, then. 'Chavamee take that side, I'll get this side." A spec ops major appeared in front of her, and he moved to her left side.  
"What happened to General 'Buranee...? Is he alive?" She asked as they started walking.  
"The general is dead." The minor answered._

_"The humans' bomber took out three of our units before it was shot down, including my team and your lance." The major bitterly replied. "The third was our armor contingent."  
"I see..." She muttered.  
"Our forces are regrouping at the forward base for a final push. The enemy's resistance is tougher than we expected."_

_She nodded, and then looked at each of them. "What are your names?"  
"Jun 'Chavamee." The minor said.  
"M'Kla 'Sivai." The major replied.  
She bowed her head. "Then I am in your debt."_

_Then the next thing Mikoto knew, they were pushing into the enemy base. _

_The three of them, together._

* * *

Mikoto woke up from the dream, her eyes wide. _It happened again... Just what's going on? _She sat up in her bed, looking down into her lap. _Why am I dreaming about 'Koramai...? But just 'dreaming' doesn't explain why everything is so familiar, and all of those names... _Her eyes widened further. _Are these... memories? _The incident with Kiyama came to mind, but in that case she had seen everything at once at that moment. It wasn't... like this.

What did she do to cause this? It had to be during the fight, so when...? That moment he had her by the throat came to mind, when she had poured everything she had left in her to try and electrocute him. _So... that's how. But why dreams? Why didn't I see anything when I had him? _It was too complex for her to understand, so she just shook her head to try and clear her mind. _It doesn't matter now. If I can see his memories, then I can use them to my advantage... I just need them to give me something, instead of being shown random things._

That last image of the three elites came to mind, and her eyes lowered. _Maybe... it's not random. _She sighed, and laid back down on the bed. _For now, I'll just go back to sleep._

Before she could, Mikoto noticed an absence in the bed. She looked, only to see that Kuroko was not there. Sitting up again, Mikoto took a look around the room. Uiharu and Saten were both in bed, sleeping, and the food that they left for Kuroko was gone. _I guess she got up. _She thought, and laid back down. _She'll be back._

* * *

Kuroko was outside in the compound, even at these late and dark hours, leaning up against a railing by one of the doors to the main building. After waking up a while ago to find everyone else asleep, she found some food in the room and ate, before using the restroom and coming out here. The air was cool and felt pleasant against her skin, and she enjoyed the slight breeze.

There were few personnel around at this time other than the ones on duty, but she noticed a small group of marines talking together. Their laughter suggested that their morale was still high, but she didn't care about that.

The only thing she cared about right now was protecting her onee-sama and her friends. No matter what.

"Shirai-san?"

Kuroko looked behind her to see a familiar face. "Lieutenant Saionji?" She asked as he walked up and joined her at the rail, leaning up against it.  
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Saionji asked, smiling at her.  
"I'm not sleepy." She said truthfully. She'd been sleeping most of the day, in fact. A complete waste of time, but she had to admit she was feeling rather refreshed.  
"Maybe a few laps around the track will help. You need to build up your stamina."  
"We all do." She sighed, and looked in the direction of the track field.  
"Don't leave just yet."

Kuroko looked back to Saionji and their eyes met. "You do understand the risks of fighting with us, right?" He asked, his tone turning serious.  
"I am fully aware of the danger." She said, standing up straight and placing a hand on her chest. "But I will protect my Onee-sama and my friends. We will fight together."  
"You might die." The man said, his eyes narrowing.  
"I am prepared for that." If she had to die to protect Mikoto, she would do so happily, if there was no other way.

Saionji looked away, out into the night sky. "You're prepared to die, but you're not prepared for death."  
"What?" Kuroko asked, confused.  
He shook his head. "I'll have to introduce you to someone."  
She eyed him for a moment, suspicious, and then looked away. "Is that all you wanted to say?"

Saionji looked back at her, looking into her determined eyes. "Yes. I can see there's no getting you to think about it." He stood up off of the railing, turning around. "Start off with ten laps. Don't overexert yourself or you won't feel like going back to sleep."  
"Yes sir." Kuroko answered him, and was about to teleport away when he spoke once more.  
"_Walk _there, rookie."  
"Yes sir." She muttered, annoyed.

As she headed off, Saionji looked after her. _Something seems off about her... but I can't put my finger on it. _He sighed, and headed back into the building.

* * *

_Mikoto opened her eyes, finding herself looking up into a clear, blue sky. She sat up, and noticed she was in a field of flowers. A circle of rocks was up ahead and she started towards them, drawn there. She didn't know what was going on, but she could vaguely tell that this was a dream. Not a memory, but an actual dream._

_If it's a dream, shouldn't she be in absolute control of it? If she wanted to see something, she just had to will it, right?_

_Mikoto looked around for Gekota._

_"I already tried that." A voice came from the rocks, and Mikoto's eyes landed on... herself?_

_A girl sat on top of the rocks, a girl who looked and sounded just like Mikoto. This girl smiled at her, sliding down off of the rock to stand in front of her. "Let's set the confusing stuff aside. I'm you, you're me, we're each other." She said, shrugging. "Oh, and don't get me wrong. I'm not one of our sisters."_

_"Okay..." Mikoto said, deciding not to think about it._

_The girl... Misaka stood there in front of her, arms crossed as they looked across at the other. "So, you still don't want our friends to fight?" She asked, the smile still on her face.  
"I don't want them to be placed in that kind of danger. You should understand." Mikoto told her, taking her stand.  
"The moment we entered this world, we were all in danger. That's not going to change whether we fight or not."  
Mikoto gritted her teeth. "It's safer... away from the battles."  
Misaka frowned. "There's no safe place on this planet."  
"Then what am I supposed to do!?" She snapped, her emotions a cascading mix of frustration, grief, and worry._

_"You cannot stand alone." _

_M__ikoto's eyes widened at the voice, and her eyes landed on 'Koramai leaning up against a rock, his eyes fixed on her. "What's... he doing here?" She asked, her voice a whisper._

_Misaka's hands went behind her head, the girl looking up into the sky. "Well, instead of Gekota, he showed up." At Mikoto's strange look, she laughed it off. "Kidding. Some of his memories are here, so it's only natural for him to be present, right?"_

_"But, he's..." She began, but her voice trailed off._

_"...I know." Misaka somberly replied. "He's the enemy, he's a murderer." She walked away from Mikoto, standing in front of 'Koramai as he watched her with narrowed eyes. "He's also strong, on the same level as us. But even the great and powerful 'Koramai needed the help of his friends to fight." She looked back at Mikoto, her eyes soft. "Mikoto, we can't do this alone. We need their help. Kuroko, Uiharu, Saten... We need all of them."_

_"But..." Her voice was barely a whisper.  
__"It's dangerous, and any one of us may be badly hurt. We might even... die." She walked up to stand in front of Mikoto. "But if we don't work together, we will die. Mikoto, do you trust your friends?"  
"Of course I do!" She said confidently.  
"Then let them watch our back, and us theirs."_

_Mikoto looked down at the ground, her eyes somber, her fists clenched. She trusted her friends. The four of them are a team, and... she's right. Saionji is right, 'Koramai is right, everyone's right..._

_She can't do this without them._

_"I... understand." Mikoto looked up, her eyes showing a fiery determination. "I'm not in this alone. I have my friends looking out for me!"_

_Misaka smiled. "Then I guess you can wake up now. Want me to pinch you on the cheek?"_

_"Not yet." 'Koramai suddenly said, and both girls' looked over at him. "Stormbringer, be warned. The Covenant is not the greatest enemy you face. There is something much worse, much more powerful than even they."_

_That's when Mikoto felt a dark presence behind her, and she whirled around, only to see a pair of cold, eerie hazel eyes shining with rage glaring at her._

* * *

**Battalion Headquarters  
October 6th**

Mikoto woke with a start, quickly sitting up in bed, her hand against her forehead. _What was that? Who was that? _The only thing she remembered were the eyes. Those terrible eyes.

"Misaka?" A voice came from her right, and Mikoto looked over to see Uiharu and Saten looking at her. Saten was sitting up in bed, while it looked like Uiharu had just woken up. "What's wrong?" Saten asked, concerned.

Mikoto shook her head and moved her legs out from the bed. "It's nothing... Just a weird dream." She stood up out of bed, looking at her two friends. _Guess it's now or never. _She extended her hand towards them, a smile on her face. "Uiharu, Saten, let's fight together... to end this war."

Kazari blinked, wondering if she had heard Misaka-san right. "To...gether?" She asked, and the brunette nodded. "It's... going to be dangerous." She said, but even as she said that, she remembered the countless number of people in hiding on the planet. Those who were counting on the UNSC to protect them. _But, w__e can't... just stand by and watch!_

"I know it's dangerous, but they need our help. We can't hide, and there's nowhere to run. The only way out of this is to fight, and with all of us working together, we'll get through this. No one will die." Misaka-san said, her voice brimming with confidence, and her eyes reminded Kazari why she admired her so much.

"Right!" She exclaimed, standing up out of bed and taking her hand.

"Can we really make a difference?" Ruiko asked softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. _We're just kids. I'm... just me. But I want to do something, I want to fight._

Misaka grinned at her. "If all four of us work together, the Covenant doesn't stand a chance!"

Ruiko looked up at her, and smiled. _Misaka's right. Even if we're kids, we can still do something if we work together. _Ruiko stood up and clasped Misaka's and Uiharu's hands. "Let's do this." She said, grinning.

"Onee-sama!" Mikoto cried out as Kuroko jumped onto her back, making all four of them to fall down to the ground. "Kuroko will fight with her Onee-sama, Kuroko will protect her Onee-sama!" She rattled on incessantly, rubbing her head into Mikoto's back. "I will protect my friends! And, when it's all over, then we can... hehehe..." A blush spread across her cheek as drool got on Mikoto's shirt.

Uiharu and Saten giggled as the two girls fought on top of them, Uiharu smiling at Saten who took her hand and held it. "Together." Saten said, and Uiharu nodded.

There was no turning back now. The only way to move... is forward.

* * *

**CPV-Class Heavy Destroyer _Ultimate Salvation  
_**

"No survivors from the _Cleansing Charity_, shipmaster." One of Kora's officers spoke up as he went through the reports of the Phantoms they had sent out. "It seems that the humans blew up _another _mountaintop and opened up from three different directions."

Kora nodded at the report before shifting his gaze over to another officer. "Warn the following ships to stay _above _the mountains: _Valorous Truth, Unyielding Contrition, Reaper of Intent, Long Night of Truth, Unrelenting Reconciliation, Harbinger of Charity, _and _Seeker of Penance_."

"What of the others?" The officer asked.  
"They don't usually fly below mountains, do they?"  
He nodded in understanding. "Yes, shipmaster. They don't."

As the officer started to relay the message, a familiar, strange noise sounded out. All as one, even the Huragok on the bridge, they turned to face him. "Back to your duties." Kora ordered sternly, snapping them back around as he took out the device from his belt. It was the same girl's picture as before, but he knew that Stormbringer wasn't this... 'Saten Ruiko'. Unlike how some Sangheili viewed them, humans did not look all the same to him.

He accepted the call.

* * *

With one hand holding the phone and the other around Kuroko's face, Mikoto narrowed her eyes when she heard 'Koramai answer the call. "'Koramai, can you hear me?" She asked, speaking in English once more.

"Yes, Stormbringer." His voice came out from the other end.

"Good, because I've got something to tell you." She took a look back at her friends, all of whom were smiling at her, and she grinned. "We're going to stop you, 'Koramai. We're not going to let the Covenant take this planet, and you won't be able to stop us. When we work together as a team, no one can stop us; not even you and your friends. Oh, and the name's _Mikoto Misaka_, not Stormbringer. That's all. See you soon." She flipped the phone shut, ending the call.

* * *

Kora was grinning.

It seems that the fool had wizened up.

_Mikoto Misaka... So that's her name._

_I look forward to seeing her 'team' in action._

He placed the device away and looked to his communications officer. "Oan, contact the remainder of Field Marshall 'Sumee's forces. Tell them to prepare for an attack on the base as early as tomorrow. I'll have more information by the end of the day." He would press his contact on who would be participating in the attack, if any of these young females were.

"Yes, shipmaster."


	7. Klaxon

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo**

* * *

**Battalion Headquarters  
October 6th (Noon)  
**

Lieutenant Saionji looked at the three army troopers standing in front of him, three of the four left alive from the initial attack on the city and its army base. "Staff Sergeant Duran R. Crater." He said, and the oldest of the three saluted.

"Reporting for duty, sir!" Crater said, the hard look of someone who's tired of this war in his eyes. He had the look of someone who was pushing himself to keep on going, despite everything he had to face.

Saionji moved on to the next trooper. "Lance Corporal Kina Malcolm."  
"Reporting for duty, sir!" The young woman snapped a salute. Her eyes shone with a steadfast determination, and he could tell she's a soldier through and through.

Finally, it was the youngest of the three's turn. "Private First Class Jeremiah D. Clark."  
"Reporting for duty, sir." The boy wasn't as tense as the other two, and his salute was more relaxed. From the youthful look in his eyes, Saionji could tell that the war hadn't gotten to him yet, despite being having lost his entire company.

Saionji stepped back and studied the three troopers from head-to-toe. Sergeant Crater was of average height, standing at 5'8 with an average build. His dark brown hair was in the standard short cut, but he sported a small goatee on his face. His hardened eyes were a deep blue, like the night sky.

Corporal Malcolm stood taller than Crater at 5'10 with a slightly broader figure than most women. Her brown hair was cut even shorter than the sergeant's in a buzz cut, and her brown eyes were studying the lieutenant himself. Or, rather, his battle-scarred armor.

Private Clark was the shortest of the three, standing at 5'7 with a lean figure. His sand-blonde hair was the longest, coming down over his ears. His face was cleanly shaven, and his sky-blue eyes still held some resemblance of the innocence of a child in them.

"You're probably wondering why I called you here." Saionji began, seeing Malcolm and Clark immediately straighten up. Apparently, they _hadn't _bothered to wonder why they were here.

"Yes sir." Crater answered for the three of them, though it was really only for him.  
Saionji let it go and got straight to the point. "You're being reassigned to a new unit."  
"...Marines?" Malcolm asked, frowning.  
He shook his head. "I suppose you're aware of the four additions from a week ago?"

"The espers?" Crater asked.  
"Yes. We're forming a special support unit for them, and the three of you will be joining them. Railgun, Judgment, and Zero. Sergeant, you'll be in charge of the unit, and in charge of teaching them the basics. Flowers will be under Major Tachibana's wing, so you don't have to worry about her."  
"I understand, sir. Just got to get a few girls battle ready in a few days. Piece of cake." The sergeant was rather open about his feelings.  
"Starting with terms, hand signals, and hand-to-hand combat." Saionji told him.

"Question, sir." Malcolm spoke up.  
"Go ahead."  
"Zero doesn't speak English, and we don't speak Japanese, right?" He nodded. "So, how do we communicate with her?"  
"With these."

With that, Saionji reached into one of his belts' pouches and pulled out two small earpieces. "These are Japanese-to-English translators that will provide you with a simultaneous translation in a voice similar to the original." He held out a third one. "This one is English-to-Japanese. Sergeant, I trust you will give this to Zero."  
"Yes sir." Crater said, taking that one and one of the other two.  
Malcolm took the other one, and frowned. "There's only two, sir?"  
Instead of answering her, he looked at Clark. _**"Private Clark, step forward and come to attention!" **_Saionji sharply ordered in Japanese.

Clark snapped to, stepping forward immediately and clasping his hands behind his back. "Yes sir!" He said out of instinct, and that's when he noticed Crater and Malcolm looking at him strangely. He awkwardly smiled and looked at the lieutenant. "Sir, you could have just asked."  
"You should have spoken up."

"Clark, you... know Japanese?" Malcolm asked, not having known that about her squadmate.  
"He got a major in both English and Japanese before he enlisted." Saionji answered for him.  
"You mean... he's a teacher!?" Malcolm exclaimed, taken aback.  
"Well, I haven't taught a class yet..." Clark softly said.

"Attention!" The three troopers straightened up before they could keep chattering. "Private, you'll be in charge of teaching Zero the words she will need to know. I don't want her to rely on that translator." Saionji told him.  
"Yes sir!" Clark answered enthusiastically. He was going to have his first student!

The lieutenant then turned back to Crater. "Sergeant, you'll meet up with the girls later today after I've briefed them. At the moment they're preoccupied, so in the meantime assist the ODSTs with loading up." The rest of Saionji's company had been dropped off yesterday, and they would be leading the attack tomorrow against the remaining Covenant forces in the area.

"Preoccupied, sir?" Crater asked.

In response to that, Saionji turned his head a little and placed his hand on the lower-back of his head. "Can't have friendly fire out there, now can we?" The sergeant nodded in understanding. "That'll be all, you're dismissed."

The troopers saluted once more before turning to leave as Saionji called out to a man waiting in the shadows of the room. "Barber!" The man stepped forward, and Clark found himself looking up at the biggest, broadest man he'd ever seen.

"Whoa..." Clark muttered.

The three troopers were staring up at the man who they've only heard about, so Saionji took it upon himself to introduce him. "Sergeant Major Grade A. Butcher, the resident barber." The troopers kept staring. "You're _dismissed_." He reminded them, and they finally moved on, but not without one last look.

The marine walked forward, snapping off a salute. "Reporting for duty, sir." He said, his voice deep and serious.  
Saionji's eyes showed a little sadness in them. "You know what to do."  
Barber nodded, and then cocked his head slightly to the side. "And Zero?"  
Saionji shook his head. "Just Judgment."  
The man gave a quiet snort.  
"I know. But despite Cole placing them in the database, they're not actual UNSC personnel. If she comes to you and wants it done, then do it."

That's when Cole appeared on the nearby pedestal. "Lieutenant Saionji, Captain Prock wants to see you immediately to discuss the operation tomorrow. She wants to know if-"  
"Shirai. Misaka lacks the necessary training." Though, really, Shirai wasn't much better off. But those three girls haven't just been sitting around for the past week.  
"Understood, but she still needs you for-"  
"I'm on my way."

Saionji nodded towards Barber, dismissing him before he headed for the command center. As the lieutenant left, Cole looked over at the massive man. "Don't give the poor girl PTSD, sergeant. We need her."  
The man grinned.

* * *

**Covenant-Held City of Klaxon  
****October 7th (Morning)**

Up on top of a building near the center of Klaxon, Jackals stood on the corners of the roof with carbines and beam rifles, guarding the large, city-wide jamming tower that prevented any UNSC signals from getting in or out. They looked down into the roads, to the rooftops of other buildings, and even around the roof they were standing on, but it was not often that they glanced over at the jamming tower itself. Even if they were to glance at it, they would have to look even closer to see the UNSC-grade explosives suddenly appearing on it.

Closer towards the edge of the city, but more towards the center than the edge, was a half-destroyed arsenal of UNSC weaponry and vehicles. Though half of the base had been destroyed, there was still one armory plus a large garage-full of Warthogs still intact. In this garage, UNSC soldiers were loading up along with two civilians. Out of the twelve hogs there, which included two gauss and two transport, all but the two transports were being loaded up. Some time later, as Gunnery Sergeant Drain was climbing into the driver seat of his hog, the third, and last, civilian came in through the door, giving him a rather energetic thumbs up before proceeding to get into the passenger seat of the last hog.

Drain turned to his men. "Platoon, we're getting out of this city! Let's show these covvies that just because the _Special One_ bit the dust doesn't mean that her crew bit it along with her!"  
"Oorah!" His men shouted back, ready to get back into the action.

The garage door started opening, revealing the sunlit dawn that was springing up over the city. "On my mark in 3..." The engines roared to life. "2..." Marines in passenger seats shouldered their rocket launchers. "1..." Drain grinned bigger as he pressed the detonator. "Mark!" All ten Warthogs sped out of the garage, taking a sharp turn as a loud explosion boomed out over the city, the upper part of a tower falling stories down from a building and right on top of a Wraith.

With the jamming tower now destroyed, Drain attempted to contact Admiral Standingwater as they headed down the road, gunners keeping a lookout for snipers as they made their way to the first of three checkpoints. "Admiral, this is the surviving crew of the UNSC _Special One._ We are currently making our way out of Klaxon on the main road. Requesting immediate evacuation for when we get out!" There was no response at first as they continued down the road, not yet coming into sight of the Covenant.

Finally, just as Drain was about to try it again, a voice came over the radio._ "Soldier, this is Admiral Standingwater, we read you; however, the enemy presence there is too-"  
_"Sir, we've got a Spartan."

Just as he said that, the figure behind him grabbed her pistol, and dropped two Jackal snipers on a roof up ahead on an intersection. In the distance, beyond where the Jackals were killed, Drain could see the Covenant checkpoint coming into view. _"...Understood. You'll have your extraction, soldier." _The admiral said.

"Thank you, sir." With that, Drain turned his attention back onto driving as the turret opened up behind him along with the turrets of every other Warthog, a hail of bullets raining down on top of the Covenant as their mortar tanks turned around. One supersonic slug found the weakspot of one Wraith, taking it down as two rockets slammed into the side of the second Wraith, sending it up in flames. The infantry, supported by shade turrets, lifted their weapons and started pouring into them.

They kept going, sending a hailstorm of bullets into the Covenant position as Drain slammed right through a shade turret, the debris flying off to the sides as he just kept on going. A grunt lifted up an overcharged plasma pistol to EMP one of the trailing hogs, but a ball of fire slammed into it, setting it ablaze and forcing its shot to go up high. Ryouta, in one of the trailing hogs, narrowed his eyes as he set another fireball towards one of the elites before they left the checkpoint behind.

"First checkpoint down! Anyone injured?" Drain called out to his marines, receiving answers from each and every one of them. "Good! We're approaching Checkpoint B, lock and lo- Up high, mortars!" Plasma was soaring up into the air from three different directions, all six rounds heading down towards their path. "Break off and engage!" He cried out, increasing the speed as the eight other Warthogs besides his and the other Gauss split into two groups of four, each turning at the next intersection.

Drain pressed forward, dodging the mortar fire that came down all around them as the Spartan opened fire, hitting the driver area of one Wraith far up ahead. The second Warthog opened up also, but at this distance the gunner only managed to hit near the driver area. The Wraiths opened fire once more, only two rounds this time heading towards them as the other teams engaged their tanks. The Spartan fired again, the slug penetrating the driver's cover and killing the unfortunate elite, dropping the Wraith to the ground.

Meanwhile, on the street left of the main road, a large fireball covered one of the two Wraiths as bullets slammed around the gun on the second Wraith. Just as that Wraith was opening fire, the bullets managed to tear a section in the gun and drop its aim, the mortar round slamming into the Wraith itself as the driver of the burning Wraith bolted. However, on the right street to the main road, the third team was having a much more difficult time with their two Wraiths. A mortar round slammed into one of the Warthogs and in return a marine sent two rockets into the front of the tank. The Wraith didn't go down with that, but a short volley of .50 caliber bullets finished it off. The second Wraith boosted forward as the Warthogs were forced to turn around to keep away from it, and the enemy tank pursued them.

On the main road, a slug pierced through the center of a Wraith's plasma cannon right before a rocket slammed down into the gun carriage, causing an explosion in the back of the Wraith that rendered it useless. With their two Wraiths down, Drain sped forward into their lines, slamming into an elite and watching with satisfaction as its body went flying off of the hood and as the Spartan fired at a sniper tower, knocking it off course of its gravity mechanism and forcing it down onto the ground right into some plasma batteries. Drain ducked when plasma bolts started slamming against the Warthog, the number of bolts instantly decreasing when he heard the sound of the chief's magnum going off until it ran empty, though he never caught a click. "Kaiser, we're swinging around to assist! Hold on!" He cried out to the third team, turning to the right and going through the Covenant ranks as the second team sped past their destroyed Wraiths and continued on past the barricades.

As soon as they came into sight of the remaining Wraith, both the Spartan manning the gun and Gilbert in the passenger seat opened up with their weapons, first the slug slamming into the exposed backside and then the rocket, and the enemy tank instantly went up in a dazzling, blue explosion. "Wraiths are down! Let's go!" Drain called out over the radio, the third team joining him as they continued on through the remaining lines of the Covenant checkpoint. As they exited the alien-filled street, shade fire caught Abel in the passenger seat of the second Gauss hog and sniper fire got Martinez on the gun of one of the two other Warthogs before the chief took the snipers out.

Fortunately, that was the extent of their casualties. They got out of range of the checkpoint and joined up with the second team on the main road, no casualties on their side. Drain's face paled when he heard the unmistakable sound of Banshees. "Up high! Enemy air!"

The chief petty officer in the back turned the gauss cannon towards the sky, firing as soon as she caught sight of four Banshees rounding a building. The first craft went down, its demise giving enough time for the pilots of the other three to make elaborate evasive maneuvers. The gunner of the second Gauss fired time and time again but couldn't get a shot while the chief waited for a few moments, analyzing their patterns and calculating one's expected route before opening fire, catching it in the middle of a spiraling barrel roll.

The two remaining Banshees boosted forward, the lead one coming down on top of the second Gauss hog with its fuel rod cannon firing and setting it ablaze. The pilot wasn't careful, though, and ended up getting shot down by Drain's hog as he attempted to break off. The last Banshee attempted to take the sergeant out, but quick thinking led to the fuel rod barely missing them. This pilot wasn't as reckless as the other and was swiftly dodging any attempt for the chief to take it down as it started to swing around, using the buildings as cover.

"Jackals!" Gilbert cried out when he caught sight of a squad of them up ahead. Before he could take aim and get them with his rocket launcher, the Spartan spoke up.

"Sir, I need one of their pistols."  
"Gilbert, hold your fire!" Drain said before the marine could fire.

Gilbert muttered something and hunkered down in his seat as Drain moved the hog closer to the right side of the street, the jackals opening up on them as they stayed behind their protective shields which were useless when the chief took out her assault rifle and opened up with short-fire bursts, hitting the spots that the shields didn't cover. As one jackal fell over, its pistol went flying up into the air, the Spartan catching it as Drain drove past. At that moment, the Banshee came swooping down on them from above, about to open fire only to be stopped when an overcharged ball of plasma slammed into it, momentarily knocking it out.

The pilot franticly tried everything to prevent the Banshee from slamming full speed into the ground and he just barely managed to pull upwards in time when the systems came back online. However, he soon found himself being hijacked by the demon who had just shot him. The elite's body went flying into the ground as the Spartan took control of the Banshee, gaining altitude as she brought it over the rooftops. "Sir, I'll clear a path through the final checkpoint."

"We'll keep your gunner seat open for you."  
"Yes sir."

The Banshee's boosters activated, propelling it forward at incredible speeds as the Spartan took the wheel, the craft soon getting out of sight of the surviving members of the platoon. "Keep forward! We're going to be cutting a straight line out of here! I'll take the lead; get those civvies in the middle!" Drain called out to his platoon.

* * *

A fair ways up ahead, out of sight of the Warthogs, sat a long line of Covenant barricades facing out from the city with four sniper towers set up along the line. Two Locusts guarded the main road while a large number of Wraiths were spread out amongst the Infantry that were mixed in with the vehicles and emplacements. Shade turrets reinforced the position along with sets of Hunters while a Covenant Assault Carrier was in the distance over the city with a CCS-Class Battlecruiser hanging up in orbit.

Despite all of the barricades facing out from the city, the Covenant were looking into the city instead, on edge as they had received reports of a human convoy heading their way made up of 'Warthogs'. Along with reports of the convoy came reports of a demon, something that had many grunts trembling with fear and many Sangheili anxious to fight. However, instead of a procession of fast-moving Warthogs, the assembled aliens were met with a lone Banshee; and, before they could realize that it was hostile, a Locust was already under fire. Confusion broke out amongst their ranks, but it was suppressed by the roars of the Sangheili as they quickly caught on to what was truly going on: the demon had commandeered one of their own vehicles.

The Locust's main gun activated, shooting a beam straight at the Banshee which barrel-rolled to the side and continued to pour into the shield, dropping it before unleashing a fuel rod which slammed into the weak armor of the Locust. The aircraft screeched past overhead, gaining altitude as the Locust came crashing down into their lines. Plasma, needles, and particles flew up into the air in an attempt to take the Banshee down, but the craft was far too nimble and swift and the pilot too skilled. It came down upon them again, dodging the second Locust's cannon as it sent a Wraith up in flames before sweeping low, catching grunts and jackals on its wings before it went back up into the sky, missing a mortar round that engulfed a squad of infantry instead.

As the Locust continued to fire, the Spartan used the operator's single-minded focus on her to her advantage, and she flew over the barricades at an angle that made the Locust catch the two sniper towers close to the main road with its beam, destroying them and killing the snipers that had manned them. With the towers down she shot up into the air behind a building, flying high before making way for the Locust, coming down upon it quickly with plasma bolts firing followed by a fuel rod which took down the shields as she flew by. She lifted the Banshee up and around, not waiting to straighten out before unleashing a volley at the Locust. Something vital was hit and an explosion tore a hole in it before it dropped down on top of the roof of the building it had been standing on.

The Spartan barrel-rolled out of the way of a mortar round that melted into the side of the building, firing the fuel rod down into the Wraith before shifting off to fly out to the front of the barricade line. She started tearing into the shade turrets, aiming for the gunners as they returned fire. Plasma burned into the Banshee as the fire was too heavy to avoid it all, but the craft wasn't down yet as she shifted away from the Shades and lit up a Revenant before coming around once more. Before she could open up on the Ghosts she had sighted moving through the line, fuel rod shots erupted all around her as the Sangheili took it upon themselves to take her down. One such shot exploded right up against her, knocking her off balance as stray small-arms fire started to hit the now unstable craft.

Knowing that the Banshee didn't have long, the Spartan was glad to see the platoon in the distance, not yet spotted by the Covenant line who had their entire attention on her. As part of her wing went flying, she steered the Banshee around, activating the boosters and flying down the line, keeping the Covenant's attention on her long enough before zipping back into the city, swiftly evading the buildings before coming out over the main road. Sighting one more Wraith close to their path, she pushed the Banshee as fast as it could go before bailing, falling stories down as the Banshee continued its rapid descent, soon crashing into the Wraith in a brilliant explosion that engulfed both vehicles and anyone around them.

She landed hard on the ground, rolling forward and breaking out into a sprint as the Warthogs caught up with her, not slowing down as she jumped back on the Gauss cannon of Drain's hog. "Fire!" The sergeant shouted, Gilbert firing both of his rockets as the rest of the marines opened up. As some of the braver and questioningly-foolish Covenant started to move in their path, Ryouta stood up from where he was sitting and gathered together two massive fireballs. He launched them flying up into the air, faster than the Warthogs were moving; they came down on the two sides of the road in the Covenant line, but they didn't stop just where they landed. Two long lines of grass suddenly erupted in roaring flames, lashing out at nearby aliens and engulfing the grass off to the sides of the road while also keeping the Covenant back from blocking the road.

The Warthogs went blazing down the road, passing in between the walls of fire and mowing down any Covenant still standing in their way. The trailing Warthog was caught by a lucky mortar round, but the enemy force was too disrupted to take anymore victims. "We're through! We are through! Don't stop; don't slow down!" Drain yelled out as they put distance between them and Klaxon. However, just as they were getting out of there, the highway ahead of them exploded as molten hot plasma rained down upon it.

"STOOOP!" Drain cried out, slamming on the brakes as the air got hotter and hotter. The rest of his platoon did the same, the second Warthog bumping into his and nearly making them tip over before the hog came crashing back down onto the ground. As a small, scorched wasteland laid before him, the sergeant looked up into the skies, his eyes widening in fear when he caught sight of a Corvette nearing their location. He took a quick look back at the blackened ground and then shot his eyes between the Corvette and Klaxon.

They were trapped.

He slammed his fist against the dashboard before grabbing his assault rifle and climbing out of the Warthog. "I want a defensive line facing out towards Klaxon. Gunners stay, everyone else out! Civvies, behind my hog! Gilbert, take the gun; chief, you're with me!" They hurried into position, drivers moving their hogs to form a line while the marines hunkered down behind them with the civvies being placed behind the Gauss hog which stayed behind the line.

"We've got Ghosts inbound!"  
"Light 'em up!"

The gunners opened up on the four Ghosts, three being targeted by two gunners each as a sniper took out the driver of the fourth. All four Ghosts were taken out, blowing up before they could ever reach the marines.

"Those were just the hurry-bodies! Don't drop your guard!"  
"S-sir! We've got Bansh- B-Banshees and Phantoms inbo- There's a ton of them!"

Drain soon saw what the sniper was referring to when he caught sight of dozens upon dozens of Banshees along with a dozen or so Phantoms coming over the city from the assault carrier that was hanging back, his face going white.

"Covenant ground forces are advancing! They're pouring out from the barricade and are _charging _towards us! There doesn't appear to be any order!"  
"Oh man, it's a mad rush!"  
"What are we going to do, sarge!?"  
"Even if we have a Spartan...!"

"Fire..." Drain muttered, his men looking to him as did the Spartan. "Fire... everything! We're going to take down as many of these Covenant dogs with us as we can! Fire as soon as they get into range; target whatever you can bring down!"

"Y-yes sir!"

The gunners on all seven hogs aimed up into the sky at the incoming wave as the marines on the ground shifted their sights unto the horde of Covenant infantry pouring over the land. It wasn't long before the Banshees started to enter firing range, the gunners' fingers easing down on the triggers as they prepared to light up the sky. However, before any of them could pull a trigger, and before any of the lead Banshees could fire, missiles tore into the Covenant craft, destroying them outright as missiles started ringing true throughout the Covenant air. Looking up into the sky, the marines saw Longswords whipping by overhead and into the Covenant formation, firing missiles that slammed into the Banshees and Phantoms.

As the Longswords and Banshees broke out into a hazard dogfight, Shortswords flew by overhead, sending down carpet bombs that enveloped a major part of the Covenant charge, sending blood and gore flying into the air. An ear-splitting sound then suddenly rung out over the battlefield, causing Drain to snap his eyes up into the sky to catch sight of the Covenant Corvette with a flaming hole in its side as Archer missiles slammed all along its unshielded hull. When he looked to see what had fired the Archers, he saw a frigate coming out from behind the nearby mountain, firing off bursts of fire from its 50mms as it moved in to engage.

"Reinforcements!" Someone yelled.  
"We've got to hold out until EVAC!" Drain shouted to every one of his men.  
"Phantoms closing in!"  
"Lock and load!"

As a Shortsword took a fatal shot to its wing and deliberately flew straight into a Phantom, blowing them both up in the process, Drain received a transmission over the comms. _"Sergeant, this is the _Waysider_. We're sending in Pelicans to pick you up and get you out of here; I repeat, Pelicans are inbound. We'll hold the Covenant off for as long as we can!"_

"Understood, _Waysider_!" Drain exclaimed as his marines opened fire on landing Covenant troops, the Spartan firing off short and accurate bursts of fire that fell an entire squad of Grunts as Copperfield, the sniper, took out the elite Major. A cry sounded out as one of the marines, Ramirez, took a carbine round to the chest, dead before she even hit the ground.

Another Phantom turned so that its side was facing them, dropping off two squads of jackals that hefted their shields up and let the bullets soak into them as they returned fire, one of the gunners, Remington, got caught with a bolt to his helmet that went flying. Part of his head was burning, but he didn't stop shooting. The chief threw a grenade up high into the air, flying fast and exploding right as it reached the two squads. Their formation was disrupted, allowing the marines to start tearing them apart. Copperfield took out the two elites commanding them with the last two rounds in his clip. Before he could start to reload, he caught sight of a distant Jackal sniper aiming right next to him, right at the Spartan.

"Chief!" He cried out, slamming his full weight into the Spartan's side just as the jackal fired, the particle beam passing right through his heart as the chief's eyes widened.

* * *

**Flashback**

_A marine and a Spartan were running down the bridge as their EVAC Pelican was touching down in the hot LZ, its gun going off crazy as elites poured into it. The marine nearly stumbled but didn't slow down as his eyes stayed on the Pelican; then, all of a sudden, he caught sight of an elite popping out from behind a rock, aiming straight at him. His eyes widened as time seemed to slow down; then, as he started to feel a hand going up against him, he saw the Spartan pushing him out of the way out of the corner of his eye._

_For a reason he could not fully understand, he just couldn't let things end this way. Instead of allowing himself to be thrown out of the way, he threw himself in the direct line of fire, needler rounds slamming into his chest immediately. As he fell back to the ground, he grabbed his magnum and shot the elite down just before the cluster of needles in his chest exploded, his life ending right then and there as blood and gore splashed onto the ground and the Spartan herself. She didn't hesitate to start sprinting towards the Pelican, but not before swiping the dead sergeant's dog-tags. Once she was onboard, the pilot didn't waste any time to pull out; the dropship rising up into the air as she fired into the Covenant through the closing bay door, her eyes drifting back towards the sergeant's body one last time before it closed and they were on their way back to the Spirit of Fire._

* * *

_Now, another Marine had died to save her._

Faster than any regular human could hope to achieve, she was tearing out a clip for the rifle from Copperfield's pouch as she swiped the rifle from his hands, dumping the empty clip and slamming in the fresh one before sighting the jackal sniper and taking it down. Before she could switch to another target, drop pods came flying out of the sky, landing three hundred meters away from their position; and they _weren't _ODSTs. Six squads of elites exited the pods, each squad led by an Ultra. Even an elite general emerged from one of the pods, making a total of twenty-five elites, seven of which wielded energy swords. The other eighteen were majors and minors, armed with a variety of weapons. The general pointed its sword straight at her, and they all charged.

"Elites! A _lot_ of 'em!"  
"S-sir!"  
"Keep firing! Just keep firing!"  
"There's too many!"

_They'll overtake our position like this. I can't let them! _She calmly thought.

The Spartan placed one hand on the hood of the Warthog and lifted herself over it, sighting the general as she landed on the ground and fired off the last three shots. The first two shots took out its shields and the third went straight through its skull, dropping the general before it could even join in on the charge. She didn't stop there; she launched herself towards the charging elites, sprinted the two hundred and fifty meters in a flash right before swinging the sniper rifle like a bat into the lead Ultra with enough force that sent both its helmet flying and half of her rifle. The next instant saw her combat knife embedded in the elite's neck and its energy sword missing from its hand.

She turned her attention onto his squad, lunging at a major before he could fire, the sword going through his chest as the second major opened up on her. She used the corpse as a shield and pushed it into the major, off-balancing him. Before she could finish him, the minor charged her, his dagger slamming against her sword before she sent a swift punch into his gut, knocking his shields out and forcing him back. A quick slash with the sword across his torso ended him, and she went back to the major, several bolts slamming into her shield as he reeled back firing, but she was too quick for him, and his corpse fell to the ground, missing its head.

By this time the remaining Ultras started sprinting for her, ordering their squads to keep charging towards the defensive line. One of the Ultras was quicker and closer than the others, and he attacked her, but he was by himself. She sidestepped his thrust and made a slash for his body, but he leaped back in the nick of time, the sword knocking his shields off. He lunged, but she grabbed her M6D and sent two rounds into his neck.

The chief shifted aim to the next Ultra, pouring the rest of the clip into him. His shield went down quickly, but he shielded his head with his arm, the rest of the bullets hitting his armor, but one caught him in a weak spot and the elite immediately slowed. He roared in anger and pain, and sprinted forward, slashing above her head as she ducked and made a stab for his chest. He twisted his body out of the way and slammed his foot into her body.

Her shields were instantly taken out, and only by backing up at the last second did she save her armor from being dented. She hit the ground hard, but did a backflip back up onto her feet, holstering her magnum and rolling under the Ultra's next slash. She slammed her shoulder into his torso, messing up his footwork, and sent her sword tearing through his chest, killing him.

Quickly, she swiped a grenade from his belt and jumped back as two other Ultras reached her, one cutting through the air right where she'd been crouching. She activated the grenade and threw it at him, he panicked and thrust his arm up, the grenade sticking to it. Before she could count him off as finished, the second Ultra's sword cut through his arm and the elite pushed him away before dodging the blast himself. His friend roared in agony, looking down at the cauterized stump. But his agony turned into rage and both elites rushed her.

The chief raised her sword, blocking both of theirs, but the force of the combined blows forced her back. They jumped back, and the two-armed elite lunged forward, forcing her to block another strike before he ducked down low and quick, his sword slashing through her shields and biting through her armor, cutting an inch into her side. The pain didn't slow her, and she kicked the elite right in the head, knocking his helmet off and dazing him.

Before she could continue, the second Ultra lunged forward to protect his comrade, forcing her away from him. He attacked wildly, the Spartan blocking slash after slash, but she caught an opening and moved to take it. Adding injury to injury, his last hand flew up into the air, the elite's eyes widening in shock.

He had no hands left.

He was helpless.

Rather than finish him off, the chief lightly kicked him to the ground as he stood there. He looked up at her, and roared with all of his strength. She ignored him, shifting her attention to the other elite. This one glared at her, before walking over to his friend, keeping his eyes on her. She stepped back, watching him. His friend looked up at him, said something, and closed his eyes, laying his head back.

The elite above him rammed his sword into his friend's chest, instantly ending his life. With that done, he looked back at the chief, only to see her magnum aimed at his bare head.

His shields had yet to recharge.

**"Demon, you have no-!" **He started, but, just as his shields started to come back, she shot him. His body fell down next to the other's.

That made five Ultras.

She looked up for the last one, and saw seven elites standing across from her, including the last Ultra who aimed dual plasma rifles at her. Her eyes widened, but before they could open fire, high caliber rounds tore their bodies apart. She looked up and saw a Pelican opening fire with its chain gun. Taking a look around, she saw that the marines had held off the rest of the elites and that Pelicans were mopping the infantry up, firing missiles that slammed into entire squads.

The chief tossed her sword aside and started back slowly towards the defensive line, picking off stragglers with her magnum. Eventually, she heard Sergeant Drain calling her to get straight back there _immediately_ for EVAC. She turned around and broke into a sprint; and just as she did that, a Banshee broke off from the ongoing dogfight and powered up its fuel rod cannon. The chief looked up towards it, raising her pistol as she went into what was called 'Spartan Time'; before she could attempt anything though, a Longsword went flying straight into the Banshee as it started to fire, the fuel rod heavily damaging the wing and causing the fighter to go crashing down into the ground.

The chief sent a silent 'thank you' to the pilot before turning her attention back onto the defensive line and the Pelicans right behind it. One of the transport hogs was overturned and Remington was slumped over the turret, his dog-tags missing and most likely in the hands of one of the marines. The Gauss hog was in flames and she spotted Gilbert on the ground away from it, half of his body covered in third-degree burns and his likely half-melted dog-tags missing as well.

Aside from Ramirez, Copperfield, Remington, and Gilbert, she saw three others who had been killed. Gomez, Abrams, and Kaminski. She stepped past their bodies and climbed onboard the center Pelican as the other two lifted off, and as Drain helped her up (through the gesture was more good-willed), she could see that Kaiser was getting treated by a corpsman. Who she saw next instantly made her snap to salute. "Colonel!"

Lieutenant Colonel Douglas of the 90th Marines Division stood before her, a battle rifle being held in his left hand as he looked her over before smiling. "Skip the formalities, chief." He walked up to her and held out his hand. "It's good to have you here, ma'am."

"Spartan-023 reporting for duty, sir." She told him, taking his hand.  
He turned back towards the front of the Pelican, looking through the open door. "Pilot, get us home!"

"Yes sir!" Came the pilot's voice as he lifted off, opening up a channel to the _Waysider _at the same time. "_Waysider_, this is Bravo-329, we've got the cargo. You are cleared to disengage!"

Though a slightly static-filled, yet audible, channel, the _Waysider _came back. _"Bravo-329, it's a little late for that."_

The pilot was confused by that until his co-pilot pointed out towards the left just as they rose up over Bravo-400. The Covenant Corvette had a flaming hole in the front of it along with two smoking engines in the back with multiple other breaches as it descended down towards the ground in what could only be a crash landing.

_"We've sustained heavy damage but will attempt to lead off the remaining Ban- Negative! That's a negative!"_

There was a flash of a plasma beam coming down from the heavens right near the _Waysider _which was now turning and going full-speed away from Klaxon, pressing its engines to the breaking point as it flew away. "Prep for a bumpy ride, ladies and gentleman!" He switched over to a channel connecting him to the current leader of the Longswords, the Shortswords already having pulled away. "Shana, you there?" Static. "Shana?" There was only more static; he growled and switched to the entire wing's channel. "Whoever is in charge, we're counting on you to get our Spartan and the rest of us out of here safely! Got that!?"

_"Understood Bravo-329, we'll keep those Banshees off your tail."  
_"How'd Shana go down?" The pilot, a man in his mid-twenties by the name of Bryan Stockfield, asked as they passed by one of the many mountains near Klaxon and on their way to the 90th.  
_"Colonel Bane kept the Spartan safe, sir."  
_"...Understood."

The three pelicans, along with the remaining Longswords (and the Banshees that were still giving chase), continued on; and as they did so, one Okahara Ryouta was speaking to Douglas from his seat next to a device that he and his two remaining friends, Yuki and Shinobu, had carried onboard themselves. However, his thoughts were far from getting the Electromaster who was on the other side of the planet to use her power to send them home. To be honest, his thoughts weren't even about home; no, they were about something far more important. Something that even he would brave this deadly world for and risk his life for.


	8. How It All Began

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo.**

* * *

**Academy City  
Four weeks before the Railgun Event**

"Yeah." Okahara Ryouta muttered, leaning up against a building as he spoke over the phone to someone he really didn't like talking to. "Yeah, I got it..." He muttered, mentally sighing as the woman went on. "I'll look after her, I promise." His hand went in his hair as he listened to her lecture, which he instantly grew tired of. "Look, if that's all, I'm going to hang up." Before she could keep on going, Ryouta hung up and let everything out in one long sigh. "Seriously..."

He shook his head and stepped out onto the street, grumbling to himself as he started walking. The woman he had been talking to was Kurumi Mika, his and his little sister's guardian. Apparently, Rina, his ten-year old sister, was coming to join him in Academy City after two years of being away with Kurumi. Kurumi herself still had business outside of the city, so he's going to be responsible for the brat from now on. The reason she was coming back had to be because of her esper ability, otherwise he doubted Kurumi would just leave her to him, not after all that's happened.

He _did _try robbing a bank three months back.

...Only to end up getting taken down in an instant by Judgment's demonic teleporter.

But, after all that had happened, he had learned some things, and wasn't as 'bad' as he used to be. Ryouta could actually trust himself enough now to watch out for a little brat instead of being irresponsible and slacking off. Didn't mean he'd enjoy watching her or anything, though. She may be sweet, but she's way too energetic and it's annoying.

Kurumi told him Rina had already arrived, but he hasn't heard a word from the girl. However, he knew where she'd be; it's her favorite place.

It took him about thirty minutes of walking, but he finally arrived in front of the arcade Rina had forced him to take her on multiple occassions. He wasn't much for arcade games, so he had always complained about it and only ended up taking her because she'd start getting teary-eyed. So, with a sigh, he walked inside and went looking for his sister. As to be expected, he found her, playing a game with no care in the world. She still had the same long black hair and the same soft, but lively, voice.

"This is the first place you come back to after two years?" Ryouta asked, catching her off guard.

Her head snapped around, her face breaking out into a huge smile when she recognized him. "Big brother!" The shout reverberated throughout the arcade as she pounced on him, nearly knocking the air out of him.

"Rina!" Ryouta scolded, pushing her away. "What do you think..." His voice trailed off when he saw that she was looking up at him with a smile that felt like it was filling the entire arcade with _sparkling flowers _(of all things).  
"I've missed you, big brother!" Rina tried to hug him again, but he pushed her back with a hand against her head.  
"Yeah, but I think you missed this arcade more."  
"That's not true!" She whined. "I just knew you'd find me here if I waited long enough!"

"You just wanted to play on that stupid game." Ryouta sighed, rubbing his temple.  
"That's not true!" Rina repeated, pouting. "I was just playing it while I waited for you!"  
"Then let's go." He said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out of the arcade.  
"Ah!" She cried, looking back at the game. "But...!"

"Weren't you just waiting for me?" Ryouta asked.  
"Ah, um..." Rina looked down at the ground. "I was just... thinking... um..." She looked back up at him, giving him her puppy-eyed expression. "Maybe... we could enjoy the arcade together...?"  
_She just wants to play that game. _He sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "...Later."  
Her face lit up; that was the first time he had ever said 'later' when it came to the arcade opposed to the regular 'no' he had given her in the past. "Big brother!" She exclaimed giddily, hugging him.

"Hey! Get off!" When Rina didn't detach herself from him, Ryouta just sighed and kept on walking. His peaceful days of living alone are now over, thanks to this little sister of his. The only thing he could do now was just resign himself to his fate and keep on walking.  
"Let's have sukiyaki tonight~" She suddenly said, rubbing her cheek against his arm.  
"Who's paying for it?" He muttered.  
Rina let go of his arm and took out a wallet from her pocket. "Mika gave Rina a lot of money!"

"You have money?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Hai!"  
Ryouta rubbed the top of her head. "I love you, Rina."  
Rina blinked. "Big brother's attitude suddenly changed..."

As the two siblings headed home, a man watched them from on top of a building through a pair of binoculars. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he called his boss. "This is Professor Sake, it's confirmed. Codename 'Conduit' is back in Academy City. The plan is proceeding as scheduled."

* * *

**Unknown**

Level 6 is an impossibility.

Academy City does have the capability, but there are certain people residing within the city who will not allow the projects to be carried out if such projects are questioningly immoral. She knew this from the beginning, and that is the reason she has never participated in them. Instead, she set her eyes elsewhere, and came upon a different area of research, a different project.

Teleportation, without the use of the Teleporter ability.

It was an area of research that had been studied on a decade ago but had come to a halt due to unclear circumstances. With her team of researchers, they began anew on the project, digging up old research and making new. Countless issues rose up, but progress was quick, surprisingly so.

Within a year, they managed to build their first prototype teleporter, all but experimental. The first tests on it were with objects and then animals. Small adjustments had to be made, but there were no major incidents, and the tests soon became 100% precise. Eventually, it came time for the first human test subject.

Professor Sagaru Kosuke himself volunteered.

The test was simple. Using the manual control, he would teleport himself across the room, and that was all. Just in case something were to happen, a probe with GPS and a video camera installed would be accompanying him. However, as soon as he activated the device, the professor, the probe, and the teleporter all vanished into thin air.

He did _not_ reappear across the room.

The researchers scrambled for the probe's controls, urgently needing to know where Sagaru had disappeared to and if he was alright. The live feed gave them relief to see that Sagaru was fine, although confused. However, when they checked the GPS, there was no response. They could control the probe and get a live feed, but they could not find its location.

Sagaru, wherever he was, surveyed his surroundings and they did the same with the probe. It appeared that he had been sent to a forest, which gave them very little to work with. After looking around at the exotic plant life, Sagaru checked the teleporter as they watched. What they found out shocked them.

At the rate the device was recharging its power, it would take an entire _month _for it to recharge. Before, it never had to charge longer than a minute at the most; so, for it to take _this _long was inconceivable. They didn't have an explanation for it.

With no way to communicate with Sagaru, the researchers could only watch his progress as he made his way out of the forest and made contact with the locals. From there, he was able to find out where he was, and convey written messages back home. He told them the year was 2552, and of the Human-Covenant War, a war between humanity and an _alien_ collective that had been going on for 27 straight years. At first they didn't believe him - they couldn't believe him. Then, he showed them the footage.

Clips of _starships _battling it out in space, clips of marines storming into the lines of aliens. Not just that, but he also told them about so many new technologies, about stuff that was even more advanced than what they had here in Academy city.

However, it was only a matter of time before the probe's battery ran dry, and the researchers lost all contact with Sagaru for the remainder of the time he was there. When he came back after a month had passed, he had an endless number of things to say. One of these things was that he believed he had been transported to a different dimension, as he had stated that there was absolutely _nothing _about espers where he had went, and no history of Academy City.

If what he said is true, then that means that they had built teleporters (as they now had two such devices, the second one having been completed just after Sagaru had disappeared) that go to a different dimension, one 500 years into the future. He also spoke of how he had been transported to a different planet as well, one that the people there call 'Ballast', a colony world of Earth.

In the meeting they held to discuss their plans, they all agreed upon that they could find out so much on Ballast through the use of the teleporters. It was decided that they would return, to bring back technologies that could benefit not only Academy City, but also the entire world. However, there were issues.

First, why had the teleporter only teleported Sagaru and the probe to Ballast when before it had teleported objects and animals with nothing like that occurring? The explanation they found was that the device had reacted differently to human DNA, but that was as far as they could explain it. They didn't know just how it had teleported Sagaru across dimensions, just that it had.

It was decided that more tests were necessary, but that was where the second issue came into play.

The teleporter was in need of recharging, for an entire month. There was no way to replace its power source with a new one. Also, it appeared that when it had brought Sagaru home, it had unleashed a wave of energy that had depleted the second teleporter's energy reserves and for it to need to recharge its power for the exact same amount of time.

They couldn't wait an entire month.

Then, she had proposed an idea on how to completely recharge the teleporters instantly. They needed an electromaster, one with high levels of power. One like Tokiwadai's Railgun. But, there were _issues_ concerning her, as she knew all too well. That's why she had already made preparations even before Sagaru had come back.

There was one other electromaster who could reach power levels high enough that could recharge the teleporters.

_Okahara Rina._

* * *

**Three weeks before the Railgun Event**

"What's... going on here?" Ryouta muttered, looking at two people who he hadn't expected to find lounging around in his apartment. Of course them simply being here wasn't the problem, but it wasn't that simple.

Shinobu, a man in his mid-twenties, was sitting up against the far wall, looking like he had just been assaulted with his ruffled up clothes and his half-open shirt while his unusually messy long hair fell down his body. He wasn't moving, but he was still breathing... probably.

Yuki, Ryouta's white-haired classmate and the person Shinobu was in charge of watching over, was lying on the couch with Rina in her lap. They were both humming along together as Yuki brushed Rina's hair, neither of them paying any attention to Ryouta who had just come back from grocery shopping.

"Oh, hey Ryouta!" Yuki said, finally noticing him. "Did you just get back?" She asked, her smile as big as ever. Like Rina, this ponytailed girl was energetic, but even more so than his little sister. As a result, Ryouta found her even _more _annoying. But, for whatever reason, they were friends. He didn't remember how it had happened, though. Shinobu, on the other hand, he actually got along with. The man didn't talk that much, and when he did, it was right down to business.

"Welcome home, big brother!" Rina cried out, just as Shinobu fell down onto his side.

"What happened to him?" Ryouta asked.  
"We played a game!" His sister answered, giggling.  
"What game...?"  
Rina and Yuki both shared a look, and smiled. "The game of life or death!" They both exclaimed before breaking out in giggles.

Ryouta sighed and headed for the kitchen, deciding he didn't want to get drawn anymore into that conversation. He just hoped that Yuki wasn't teaching his sister anything weird. "Rina, I'm going to make supper!" He called out from the kitchen, receiving two 'yays' as a response. He grumbled something and started making supper for _four_.

Meanwhile, Yuki was popping something into the DVD player on the TV. "Hey, Rina-chan, want to watch something?"  
"What is it? What is it?" Rina asked cheerfully, leaning towards the teenager.  
"Something that'll get your heart racing real fast!"

Giggling, Yuki made both herself and Rina comfortable on the floor in front of the TV as it started playing.

By the time Ryouta finished cooking the food, the movie had been going on for a bit, and Rina had been getting increasingly scared by the atmosphere in the movie. When Ryouta finally came back into the room, he was too late to stop it in time. _Something _suddenly popped up on the screen, scaring Rina. She screamed, diving into Yuki's arms only for the air to crackle and electricity to flood the apartment.

The lights went out, the TV short-circuited, and everyone in the apartment was electrocuted. Fortunately, Yuki got the worst of it.

Ryouta climbed up off of the floor and glared at the unconscious Yuki before turning his attention to his little sister. "Rina, you alright?" He asked, running his hand through his hair, checking to see how bad it was.

"Big brother!" Rina came flying at him, tears streaming down her face.  
"There, there." Ryouta muttered, patting her back.

* * *

**Unknown**

Okahara Rina, Level 2 Electromaster, _Gemstone_.

Although she is only a level 2, she has spontaneous outbursts of power that are higher than some level 4s. This happens when she becomes frightened, and her outburst of power acts as a sort of defense mechanism. The more frightened she is, the stronger the burst. Not an ideal candidate to recharge the teleporters, but she is the _only _candidate.

That's what she, the project lead, had concluded.

That's why she had made the necessary arrangements beforehand. Now, all that is left is to get the girl, put her in the same room as the device, and scare her out of her mind. Furthermore, they had to be discreet, just in case... something happened.

...If there was another way of doing it she would do that instead, but there is no other way.

* * *

**One week before the Railgun Event**

Rina was humming to herself as she headed for the arcade, ready to get back to playing on her favorite game. She was by herself today, as her big brother and Yuki both had _detention_. She'd get onto him later; he shouldn't be getting sent to detention at his age! Giggling, she picked up her pace.

"Ouch..." Rina paused, looking over at the source of the voice to see a young lady wearing a lab coat sitting on the ground with a scattered stack of papers around her. Her short black hair fell over her face, obscuring her eyes. She was rubbing her right hand, and looked like she was having trouble. So Rina did what anyone should do!

"Are you okay, miss?" Rina asked, walking up to her and smiling at the lady.  
The lady's head titled up at the sound of her voice. "Oh, I... was trying to carry this stack of papers, but... it was heavy... and I dropped them..." She looked down, embarrassed at her lack of strength.

Rina looked around at the papers and started picking them up for her. "I'll help you carry them!" She exclaimed, her smile as lively as ever.  
"Ah, no... you-" She tried to say, but Rina cut her off.  
"No! It's not right for you to hurt yourself just to carry these papers! I'll help! I will!"  
At her insisting, the lady gave in. "...Thank you..."

They picked the papers up and Rina carried half of the stack as they headed for the lady's work place. The lady shyly introduced herself as Professor Serizawa Rie as they walked and talked (which Rina did most of). Seri-chan seemed to be very shy, and Rina couldn't even see her eyes behind her hair! It was cute, and she was so small for a grown-up!

Once they reached her work place, Rina helped her carry the papers inside and that's when Seri-chan offered her a cup of tea to thank her. Knowing that the arcade wasn't going anywhere, Rina readily accepted her offer, and Seri-chan stepped outside of the room.

That's when... strange things started happening. First, the lights go out, all but one that started flickering. Rina was confused at first, but then she started hearing things... The soft sound of a blade running along metal as it was sharpened, followed by a distant scream...

With widening eyes, Rina wrapped herself in her arms, scooting back up against a large object as the light continued to flicker right above her. Then she heard footsteps, heavy footsteps that echoed throughout the entire room. The light above her went out, and the only light came from the electricity crackling around her.

Then, she heard the sound of a chainsaw roaring to life, just as a scream split through the air. At that instant, a single light shined upon a man on the other side of the glass. Covered in blood, holding a chainsaw in his hands, and wearing a demon's mask... _he laughed_.

She screamed, screamed louder than she had ever before in her life. Electricity flooded the entire room, striking everything in there and slamming into the electrical outlets, flowing throughout the entire building. But, most importantly, it poured into the device she was sitting up against. The countdown on it sped by, and it was soon ready; but, in her panic to get away, Rina's hand touched the controls on it, and a field of energy swept through the entire room, and Rina vanished into thin air, along with the teleporter.

* * *

Rie's head slammed down onto the table for the 5th time since the meeting had started, the other researchers not even looking over at the sound anymore. Their plan to recharge the teleporters had succeeded in that they had managed to recharge one teleporter, but they had not counted on Okahara Rina accidentally activating the controls on that same teleporter and teleporting herself off to Ballast, as they presumed. The other teleporter was still recharging normally, as they hadn't had it in the same room just in case... this were to happen.

It shouldn't have happened, even if she had accidentally touched the controls on the teleporter, but there must have been variables that they hadn't accounted for...

6th time.

"Project lead, what are we going to do about this?" Professor Date finally asked, looking over at Rie behind his glasses.  
"We know where she is, we just have to get her." Sake said, getting Date's attention on him.  
"It will still take another two weeks and six days for the remaining teleporter to recharge. A lot can happen to a little girl in that time."

"And there's still the matter of getting back." Sagaru muttered, rubbing his temple. "There's another issue as well."  
"What would that be?" Sake asked, leaning towards him.  
"The Human-Covenant War." Sagaru firmly said. "What if the Covenant find Ballast, or what if they're already there?"  
"It's already been 27 years and this 'Covenant' has still yet to discover Ballast. The odds of that happening are low." Kitagawa said, tapping his finger on the table.

"But the odds are still there." Date shot back in a calm and collected manner.  
"Her big brother will be frantic to find her..." Royama muttered from down the table. "By tomorrow there will be a report out for her."  
"We tampered with the surveillance cameras, so they won't be able to track her here. We should be safe for the time being." This time it was Choshi.  
"Okahara Ryouta is a former gang leader, and he has ties to the Bando family as well as a former _hacker _who has four years of service." Royama said, making eye contact with Choshi. "He's also the big brother of a 10-year-old girl. I know what it's like."

"...I've already decided..."

At her voice, all eight researchers looked at Rie who was seated at the head of the table. "We will allow Ryouta... to find out about... what has... happened..." Rie turned her chair around, getting nervous with so many people looking at her. Now looking at the wall, she continued. "He will likely... steal the teleporter, and use it to go to his sister..."

"But they will still be gone for a month, and that means more people missing." Date said, eyeing the back of the chair.

"Then... we will arrange for... Railgun and her friends to be nearby... when Ryouta comes to steal it..."  
"What makes you so sure he'll steal it?" Sagaru asked.  
"He attempted a bank robbery..." She simply said.  
"Project lead has a point." Date concurred.

"How will we get Railgun here at the right time?" Sake asked.  
"Okahara... will come when we're... transporting the teleporter..."  
"Transporting? To where?" This time it was Choshi, again.  
"Nowhere... Into his hands... Either one..."

"But how will Ryouta get it recharged and activate it?" Kitagawa asked Rie, but Royama answered him instead.  
"Trust me, he'll find a way."  
"Railgun will... also be present... It will be recharged..."  
"How can you be so sure?" Kitagawa pressed.

Rie looked back at them. "Because... I know her..." She hurriedly looked away, losing her nerve. "...With these girls' help, they will all return safely..."  
"What if Covenant are there...?" Sagaru asked.  
"Then Railgun... will protect them..."  
Sagaru reluctantly nodded. "Then we need to hurry."

Rie nodded as well. "Yes, we will now... go over the details..."

* * *

**One day before the Railgun Event**

Okahara Ryouta was staring up at the ceiling, tired, frustrated, and worried. A week ago his little sister had gone missing, and ever since then he's been out looking for her. Judgment's on the case as well, but that didn't help to put his mind at ease any. Sighing, he rolled over onto his side, wondering just what could have happened to her. The last time he had seen her was that morning before they had gone to school, and he had talked to her right after school, telling her that he had detention. He had hung up on her because she started lecturing him...

He shouldn't have hung up...

Ryouta slammed his fist into the pillow, taking a couple of deep breaths before climbing off of the bed. Just sitting around here wasn't accomplishing anything. He was going to go back out there and start looking again!

Just as he made his mind up, the door to his apartment was slammed open. "Ryouta!" The voice was familiar, and he recognized it a moment later as Shinobu's voice.

"...Shinobu?"

Just as Ryouta started to turn the corner, someone rushed him and he found two hands clasping around his right hand. "Ryouta, Ryouta!" Yuki cried, standing up on her toes. "Shinobu found something!"  
"Wh-what...?" He asked, not getting it at first.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to look into Shinobu's eyes. "Ryouta, I found out something concerning your sister."

* * *

"So you're saying that this facility used her or something!?" Ryouta asked, loudly, as all three of them sat in front of Shinobu's laptop. The man had just told Ryouta what he had found.

After hacking into Academy City's surveillance cameras, Shinobu had traced Rina walking from her school until she suddenly disappeared off of the cameras. He figured that someone had tampered with them, and so he began checking the entire area around where she had disappeared for anything unusual. He knew that if she was frightened she would emit a burst of electricity, and that's how he had noticed a power outrage in a research facility. After hacking into the facility, there was no evidence on the cameras, but he had come across a couple of reports talking about their plans, and about a couple of devices known as _teleporters_. It had stated what they needed to know.

Rina had disappeared with one such device when she had accidentally activated it.

"So, that other device will take us to her?" Ryouta asked, his hands curled into fists.  
"Yes."  
Ryouta stood up, his eyes narrowed. "Then let's get it."  
"We need a plan."

"We don't have time!" Ryouta shot back, only for Shinobu to stand up and look him straight in the eyes.  
"They will be transporting the second teleporter outside of the facility tomorrow. If we strike then, we can easily get it and go find your sister."  
Ryouta leaned forward, grabbing Shinobu's shirt. "We need to go now! She's been gone for a week already!"  
"Ryouta." Shinobu said, not breaking eye contact. "Trust me."

Ryouta pushed Shinobu away and looked away. He walked around the room, his hands pulling at his hair. Finally, he turned back to Shinobu. "We'll need help..." Ryouta said before letting out all of his frustration in one long sigh. "I've got a few guys who owe me... What time are they moving that thing?"  
"1700."  
Ryouta nodded. "Right... 1700."

"So, we're just going to steal it?" Yuki asked, looking up at the two guys. "What about Judgment?"  
"Judgment is too slow." Shinobu said.  
She sighed and stood up, her hand going to her hip. "Then I'm going to help you guys out."  
"But-" Both Ryouta and Shinobu began, but Yuki held up her hand to silence them.

"Rina-chan is my friend! I'm not going to just sit around! And, besides," Yuki pointed at herself, "level 4, you dopes."

* * *

**Day of the Railgun Event**

Outside of the research facility, two men were carrying some kind of a big device to a truck. A couple of security guards were loitering around, watching them. "This thing isn't as heavy as it looks." The man in front, Eguchi, said as they walked over to the truck.

"But it's big." His partner, Mishima, replied.  
"Got that right."

They reached the truck and started putting it in, when all of a sudden they hear a thud behind them. Looking, they saw that one of the guards was lying face down on the ground. "He's taking a nap..." Eguchi muttered, backing up.

Mishima, on the other hand, called out for the other guard. "Hey, guar-" He suddenly dropped down to the ground, unconscious.  
"Mishi-" Something hit him on the back of the neck and Eguchi dropped down on top of Mishima.

Above them a girl appeared, her mouth set in a smile. "All clear!" Yuki called out, and the six other people she was with came around to the truck. She had already knocked the first guard out before the other three guys, so it was all good~

"Okano, Mazaki, grab that thing." Ryouta said, pointing at the device halfway on the truck. The two guys stepped forward and picked it up, both relieved that it wasn't too heavy for its size. "Let's move!" Ryouta called out, leading the way.

* * *

"Kuroko?" Mikoto asked, surprised to see that she had stumbled upon Kuroko, Uiharu, and Saten all of a sudden.  
"Onee-sama!" Kuroko cried out, pouncing on Mikoto.

"Whoa, Misaka too?" Ruiko thought out loud. She had actually just stumbled across Shirai and Uiharu a minute ago when she was checking some new rumors out, and so it came as a pleasant surprise for her to stumble across Misaka too. Now the gang's all together!

Misaka finally pushed Shirai back, and the redhead stopped trying to assault her, though she was clearly disappointed. "What brings you here, Misaka-san?" Uiharu asked, her smile even more beautiful than the flowers growing on top of her head.

Misaka blushed and looked away, playing with her hair. "Oh, uh... no reason." She was definitely hiding something if that smile on her face was anything to go off of.  
"Perhaps it has something to do with this?" Shirai asked, taking something out of Misaka's pocket and teleporting away before Misaka could catch her.

_Gekota._

Both Uiharu and Ruiko stared at the frog that Misaka quickly snatched back, her entire face red. "What about you? Judgment business?" She asked, tucking the decoration back into her pocket.

"Yes, that is correct." Shirai answered, a little smirk on her face that made Misaka glare at her.  
"Isn't this out of your district?"  
"We were asked to help a nearby branch." Uiharu said, getting Misaka's attention away from Shirai. That glare hadn't looked very friendly, even more not so than usual.  
"What with?"

"They're looking for a missing kid." Ruiko said, her hands resting behind her head.  
"A missing kid?" Misaka asked.  
"Yes, the branch here had received a hint pertaining to the case, but they're too busy to look into it so they asked us to assist them." Shirai answered.  
"I just happened across them when I was looking into this new urban legend." Ruiko said.

By this time, they were all walking together. "Another one?" Misaka asked as Shirai tried to lock arms with her, only for the brunette to push her away.  
"Yeah, it just came up overnight!"  
"So you came over here to check it out?" Uiharu asked.  
"That's right!"

"What's with the bat?" When Shirai tried to get her from behind, Misaka punched the top of her head.  
"Well, if it was true, I was going to-"

Ruiko was interrupted by the sound of Shirai's phone going off, and the three girls watched as Shirai answered it. "Shirai Kuroko speaking..." She said, her free hand still rubbing the top of her head. Her expression turned serious. "How long ago did this happen? Yes. Thank you. We'll get on it right away." The call ended, and she turned to Uiharu. "Uiharu, there's been a robbery nearby. Some lowlifes made off with something from a nearby facility. We're the closest ones to it, so they want us to take care of it."

"Right!" Uiharu answered.  
"They're sending you something to track the device with on your laptop. You should have it by now."

Uiharu opened up the laptop she had been carrying with her and checked it out. "I have it." She downloaded and installed it, and a map popped up. "I found it! It's not far from where we're at."

Shirai took a look at the map and nodded. "Keep me informed." She said before teleporting away.  
As Uiharu took her phone out, watching the movement of the red dot on the map, Misaka took a look at it herself. "I'm going too." She said before taking off after Kuroko.  
"Ah, Misaka-san...!" Uiharu tried calling out to her, but Misaka was already out of sight.

Ruiko, smiling, turned to face her. "Let's go too, Uiharu!"  
"Ah, but-" Ruiko suddenly ran off, waving for Uiharu to join her. "Saten-san!" Uiharu followed after her.

* * *

"This'll be good." Ryouta said, motioning for Okano and Mazaki to set the teleporter down, both of the guys slumping down to the ground to catch a breather. They had been moving quickly ever since they had left the facility, and carrying such a big object had tired them out. "Watanabe, Ueda," Ryouta began, gesturing over to the other two guys, "keep a look out for-"

"This is Judgment!" He recognized that voice, and his eyes snapped to the girl standing ten meters away from him. Judgment's teleporter was there, showing off her armband as she ordered them to surrender.

"So it's you?" Ryouta interrupted her, groaning. Things just got a lot more difficult.  
"Excuse me?" The redhead muttered, looking at him for a few moments. "Have we met?"

_She doesn't remember me. _A little bit of his pride was hurt. "Sorry, but I don't plan on losing today." Ryouta stated, turning away from her as he walked over to the stolen device.

"Hold it!" The girl called out, about to teleport.  
"Yuki!" Ryouta shouted.

Something hit Kuroko in the head and she was knocked down to the ground. She quickly rolled away as a foot slammed into where her head had just been. She got back up onto her feet, looking for her assailant, but there was no one there. Then, a foot slammed into her stomach, knocking her back, and that was when she realized her assailant was invisible. Before she could get hit again, she teleported away.

She landed on the ground about thirty meters away, trying to figure out what to do. Four of the other guys were watching her, while one tall, longhaired guy kept a lookout and the guy that she had spoken to kept his attention on the device that they had stolen. Apparently, they weren't concerned about her, at all. Just then, she heard someone running at her without seeing anyone. She teleported further away, but knew she couldn't just keep on running.

Just as she was about to do something, someone called out her name. "Kuroko!"

Looking behind her, she saw Mikoto, Uiharu, and Saten come around the corner of the alley. A flash of panic went through Kuroko when she realized her Onee-sama was right by a power plant. "Onee-sama!" Kuroko grabbed Mikoto's hand as soon as the sparks started to fly around her. "Onee-sama, please be careful!"

"What? Why?" Mikoto asked, looking away from the thugs that she had just been about to fry.  
"We're next to a power plant." Kuroko said, pointing at it. "If you're not careful, you'll cause a blackout!"  
"So what...?" Mikoto muttered, crossing her arms.  
"Onee-sama..." Kuroko pouted.

"Hey, don't forget about us!" A guy called out, and the girls looked over to see one of the guys making faces at them.

Mikoto narrowed her eyes and took a step forward, but Kuroko stopped her again. "I'll keep it down, so let me go." Mikoto said, trying to reason with her.  
"Onee-sama, there's another one that's invisible." Kuroko said instead of lecturing Mikoto.  
"Invisible?"

Kuroko nodded, and Mikoto looked around them. Then, before Kuroko knew what she was doing, a wall of electricity lanced out from where Mikoto was standing. Before anyone could react, the invisible girl got caught in the wall. She cried out in pain, turning visible and dropping down to the ground. "There." Mikoto said with a smile, causing Kuroko to sigh.

"Really..."

"Now, for the rest of them." Mikoto said as she stretched her arms, starting to head towards the remaining thugs.  
"Onee-" Kuroko began, trying to stop Mikoto from interfering any further.

However, before Kuroko could finish calling out to her, an apple came flying out of nowhere and hit Mikoto in the head. "Who did that!?" Mikoto shouted, holding her hands over her forehead. That was when another apple hit her on her hands, and this time she saw who had thrown it. Growling, and with electricity sparking about her, Mikoto ran towards the man.

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko called out, starting after Mikoto right before a ball of fire landed in front of her. She stepped back, looking over at the guy who had thrown it.

The pyrokinesist stood looking at her, flames hovering over his right hand. Kuroko eyed him and readied herself for a fight. He made the first move, sending a fireball her way, but she was already teleporting away.

Ryouta, after seeing the girl disappear, rolled to the side just as her feet passed through right where his head had been. He sent up a wall of fire, but she teleported away again. He caught her out of the corner of his eye, and raised his arm up just in time to absorb her kick. With his other hand, he made a grab for her, but she stepped to the side and grabbed his wrist. Before she could twist his arm back, he let loose a flurry of flames from his hand, and she yelped, teleporting away.

Feet connected with the back of his head, and he went face-first to the ground. He rolled to the side before she could pin him down, and he let a fireball fly her way. She teleported out of the way, and he scrambled back up onto his feet. Standing across from one another, they stared into each other's eyes, readying for another round.

Meanwhile, Mikoto sent a lightning bolt straight at the man with the long hair, but he managed to roll to the side and throw his last remaining apple at her. It exploded when she struck it with a bolt, but some of its remains splattered onto her face. Growing increasingly angry, she charged forward and sent more bolts flying at him. He kept on the move, dodging all three bolts as they closed the distance on each other.

Before Mikoto could try and electrocute him, he grabbed her wrist and kicked her leg out from under her, using her forward momentum to flip her over and down onto her back. She cried out, but quickly retaliated with a bolt at his legs. He jumped back and she got back up on her feet. Just as he started to come at her, she sent a wall of electricity at him. He braced himself, barely uttering a cry as he was shocked.

However, he was still standing when it was over, although it was apparent that he had taken a pretty big hit. "Ready to give up?" Mikoto asked, only for an apple to hit her cheek.

This time, it wasn't the man.

Mikoto snapped her eyes over to see that the girl she had shocked earlier had regained consciousness and was sticking her tongue out at her. Growling, Mikoto stomped her foot on the ground and sent an electrical shock through the girl. Looking back at the man, he was already upon her, and they began another round.

As Misaka-san and Shirai-san battled it out with their opponents, the four thugs approached the other two girls. Kazari tried to shield Saten-san, but Saten-san ended up putting her arm in front of Kazari and holding her bat out at the thugs instead. "Don't come any closer, or the flowers on top of her head will eat you alive!" Saten-san bellowed, causing the thugs to pause.

"Saten-san...!" Kazari whispered, sharply.  
"It'll be okay~" Saten-san waved her worries off.

"Those flowers aren't real!" Thug #1 boldly proclaimed.  
"Yeah! That's just a decoration!" Thug #2 said, but he didn't sound very convincing.

Saten-san shook her head, disappointed. "I've seen it happen. One time, this guy cut in line in front of her, and then..."  
"And then...?" Thug #3 asked, backing away.  
"He was never seen again!" Saten-san looked down, a fake, sorrowful expression on her face.  
"Seriously!?" The three thugs exclaimed.

"Uh, guys, I have... allergies, so I'll just watch." Thug #3 said, backing up.  
"Ueda!" Thug #1 shouted at him.  
Thug #2 was silent, but his face was looking rather pale.  
"Ugh, idiots. I'll deal with these two." Thug #4 said, shouldering his wooden baseball bat as he stepped forward.

"Uiharu!" Saten-san exclaimed, looking at her with expectant eyes. "Do your thing!"  
"Wh-what thing!?" Kazari asked, distressed. _My flowers don't eat people!_

"YAAAH!" Thug #4 bellowed, running forward with his bat raised. Saten-san raised her own bat to block the blow while Kazari stepped back in surprise. The thug's bat came down on Saten-san's bat, the guy grinning at her as he pushed her back.

Saten-san grunted at his strength, but she suddenly smiled. "Flower time!" The guy was confused, but that confusion turned into shock when he was hit with a stun gun. His body spasmed and he fell down to the ground, unconscious. "Nice going, Uiharu!" Saten-san exclaimed, turning to Kazari who was holding a stun gun with her free hand.

"Now!"

The two girls turned to see that the other three thugs, who had been busy arguing, were now rushing them all at once. "Shirai-san!" Kazari cried, and the redhead appeared, kicking one guy down onto the ground. The guy on the right was electrocuted (courtesy of Misaka-san) and he fell to the ground as Shirai-san kicked the legs out from under the middle guy. Now, all four thugs were on the ground, only one unconscious.

Ryouta took his chance and hurried back to the teleportation device when the teleporter he had been going up against went off to help her friends. He saw Shinobu was still standing, though he looked pretty scorched. "Mazaki, get the others and get out of here!" He called out to the four guys on the ground.

Ryouta sent fireballs towards the girls, distracting them long enough for Mazaki and the others to grab Okano and get out of there. Shinobu picked Yuki up and came running over to Ryouta as the teleporter and the electromaster started forward. "Railgun!" Ryouta called out, stopping the girls.

Uiharu and Saten came up behind Mikoto and Kuroko as they stood across from the remaining robbers. Uiharu had already called in the four thugs that had fled the scene, so now they just had to take down these three. "Yeah?" Mikoto called back after being addressed by the guy.

Ryouta had his left hand against the device, and he looked down at it, down at the countdown on it. The research facility had used his little sister, an electromaster, to charge one of these devices.

He could do the same thing.

Looking directly into Railgun's eyes, he pulled out a pistol and pointed it straight at the girl with the flowers. As soon as Railgun saw that, she shouted and electricity exploded towards Ryouta. He and Shinobu were knocked to their feet, Ryouta dropping the gun in his hand and grabbing onto the device. He watched as the device absorbed the electricity, the countdown vanishing. Before he lost consciousness, he activated it.

A wave of energy expanded outwards, absorbing Ryouta, Shinobu, Yuki, and the four other girls standing right on the edge of its radius. There was a bright light, and they all vanished into thin air.

The Railgun Event had begun.

* * *

**UNSC Colony World of Ballast  
Day of the Railgun Event**

After staying at the farmer's house for a week after everyone had disappeared, Okahara Rina had decided that she would start heading for the city that the farmer and his family had went to but had never come back from. She wondered what could have happened, and decided she'd just have to find out!

She was currently walking down a road (a very long road), humming to herself. After the scary things that had happened in Seri-chan's research facility eight days ago, Rina had found herself on a farm somewhere. Since then, she's been staying with the farmer's family. Apparently, something like this happened before, and she had to wait for a month to go back home because the device that had brought her here had to recharge for a very long time!

But Rina had been having a blast (although she's been alone for most of the time)! They have a lot of stuff that's even better than what Academy City has, and the movies are great here! But, a week ago, the farmer and his family had left to go to the city to do something, and they never came back. She had finally gotten tired of waiting and decided to go looking for them. So, here she is! Walking down a road that just kept going on and on.

It was pretty boring.

Then, Rina heard something. Looking up into the sky, she saw something flying over the trees. It was some kind of purple aircraft, and it didn't even look human! As she was staring at it, it angled towards her and she watched as it came to a stop in front of her. It presented its side, its doors opened up, and _aliens _jumped out of it.

Taken aback, she fell down onto her bottom, staring at the eight-foot tall beings. A big, white one stared at her as it took something off of its thigh. Something about them made her scared, and she was slowly scooting back away from them. The alien took a step towards her, activating a glowing blue sword, and Rina's face paled.

The alien ran towards her, drawing its weapon back.

She was too scared to scream.

* * *

Sesa 'Fulsamee, Zealot of the mighty Covenant, looked up into the sky in the direction of an explosion laced with the blue streaks of lightning. His comrades around him all stared up at the sight in awe, looking at the snakes of electricity that shot up high into the sky.

"That came from the direction of 'Mortumee's unit..." His second-in-command, Ultra Forth 'Yanalee, said.  
"So it did..." Sesa breathed, stepping in that direction. "Ready our brothers, we depart immediately." He ordered, looking at the rising column of smoke with astonished eyes.

It only took them about twenty minutes for Sesa's unit of ten Revenants and twelve Ghosts (32 Sangheili in total) to reach the sight of the explosion. There, they found the smoking remains of a Phantom and the blackened bodies of Sangheili lying on the road. One such body was Bheno 'Mortumee himself.

Sesa and Forth walked up to the body, Forth taking a close look while Sesa gazed all around at the sight before him.

"Did humans do this?" A minor asked, looking over at the two officers.  
"Based on my diagnosis, it appears that lightning struck 'Mortumee down." Forth said, disbelief in his voice.  
"Lightning!?" The minor cried out, looking up into the sky as they all did. It was a clear, dark blue sky with not a raincloud in sight.  
"Impossible..." A major muttered.

"This must be the work of the gods..." At Sesa's voice, they all turned to look at the Zealot. "'Mortumee was unworthy, and so the gods struck him down... They called upon lightning, even on such a day. Only gods are capable of this!"  
"But... why?" Forth asked, standing up. "Why would they do this?"

Sesa looked down at 'Mortumee's body, not answering Forth at first. Then, he saw it; 'Mortumee's hand was firmly grasped around his energy sword. Taking a closer look at the Phantom and the bodies lying around, Sesa realized that 'Mortumee and the others had been groundside when they were slain. That meant 'Mortumee had been attacking something, or someone...

_Could it be...?_

Sesa quickly looked around, looking for a sign, a sign from the gods. Then, he saw the tracks in the dirt, fresh tracks leading away from the road and into the trees. They were that of a human's, but who is to question what form the gods take?

Without a word, Sesa followed after the tracks.

On that day, all contact with Sesa's unit was lost.


	9. Training

****DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo.****

****A/N: Sorry for the wait! Here is the next chapter, and, to make up for such long waits and to try and get an update schedule worked out, I'm going to commit myself to getting the next chapter out by the end of July, 2016, _at the latest_. I don't blame you if you don't believe me, so I'll just have to p********rove you wrong!****

****I hope enjoy~****

* * *

**Fleet of **_**Conscientious **_**_Deliverance_**  
**DDS-Class Assault Carrier _Purveyor of Declaration_**

Special Operations Officer Saal 'Uklanee walked down the hall, heading for the Minor Prophet of Commitment's chamber that he had been called to. He did not know why he had been called there, just that he had been; but he had faith in his abilities. Saal was one of Master Swordsman 'Koramai's officers, and though he was not one of the lance leaders, he was an intelligent and creative warrior.

Once, several years ago, when he had found himself holding the line against a platoon of humans supported by armor with only two squads of grunts and no heavy weapons whatsoever, he'd managed to put together a grenade launcher using whatever he could find. With that, and some unconventional tactics, they'd managed to route the two platoons and hold the position until relief arrived.

Another time he had been stranded behind enemy lines as the humans pushed their forces back. Even without an active camo, he had still managed to infiltrate their headquarters and collect vital information which resulted in bombing raids that crippled the humans' supply lines and allowed his comrades to push back, eventually winning the battle. Such accomplishments of his had given him 'Koramai's attention; and now, presumably, even the Prophet's.

After making his way past the two honor guards outside of the door, Saal entered the outer chamber where three honor guards stood, holding their glaives. "Saal 'Uklanee, his Holiness is expecting you. You may enter." The guard standing in front of the door announced, stepping aside so that he could enter.

Inside of the inner chambers he saw Fleet Master 'Rithinee, Honor Guard (though he wore Ultra armor colored dark red) 'Jinaree, and when his eyes landed on the third figure, Saal dropped to his knee and laid his arm against his chest, saluting. "Your Excellency, Special Operations Officer Saal 'Uklanee reporting as requested."

"Yes, yes." Commitment waved his introduction off. "You may stand up, Officer 'Uklanee. There is something important we must discuss."  
"I am here to serve."

Commitment moved his gravity chair forward, taking a closer look at Saal. "Officer, you have been chosen for a special mission. Not because of any particular intelligence you may have, but rather your creativity in using that intelligence... as the fleet master tells me."

'Rithinee stepped forward. "Shipmaster 'Koramai spoke of 'Uklanee's expertise personally. I have no doubt in his words, and the reports declare as such."  
"And I suppose if 'Koramai was here, he would say it was 'Uklanee's lance leader who spoke of his skills?" 'Jinaree growled, suddenly hostile as he glared at the fleet master.  
"Enough." Commitment raised his hand, looking back at the Ultra. "There was no need for that, 'Jinaree, even if it is true."

Saal's eyes narrowed briefly before he subdued his emotions. These two had no respect for 'Rithinee. Despite his achievements, the fleet master was young, and so Commitment barely regarded him. As for the old honor guard, he likely found 'Rithinee to be an annoyance, or he was simply irritated at how the fleet master had risen through the ranks so quickly when it had taken him decades to get to his position.

"I vouch for 'Uklanee myself." 'Rithinee suddenly declared, standing firm. "If he fails, may his failure be my failure."  
Saal's eyes widened and he looked at the fleet master in wonder. "Fleet master, I-"  
"Will not fail." 'Rithinee told him, meeting his eyes with confidence in his own.  
Saal regained his composure and nodded. "I will _not _fail."

Though he said that, he didn't even know what the mission was.

"Very well." Commitment said, almost looking as if he wanted to roll his eyes. "Officer, are you aware of this... _Stormbringer_ that appeared at Field Marshall 'Sumee's area?"

"Yes, your Excellency. A human who wields the powers of a go-"

The Prophet slammed his fist down. "Rumors! Born from the mouths of heretics!" He declared. "This human is only an abomination, an accidental experiment that was born from the humans' desperate attempts to save their race from the inevitable!"

"Of course, your Excellency!" Saal quickly agreed, not wanting to be labeled as a heretic. As for what Commitment said about this human being an abomination or an experiment, he believed it. If the humans had been given the powers of a god, they would have already used them in the war, and 'Koramai himself had said that this human bleeds and feels pain the same as any of them.

She is no god, but she is also no regular human.

She is a threat.

Commitment calmed down. "This human controls lightning and thunder, calling forth a storm at will. 'Rithinee believes it can even control magnetics and electromagnetics, which could have a number of negative effects on our weapons and technology. It is vital that we kill this human as quickly as possible."

_Assassination? _Saal thought, his eyes widening. He is no assassin, even against a regular human! "Is that my mission?" He asked, his voice _not_ betraying his fear.  
"No, not quite." Commitment said, allowing Saal some relief. "Your mission is to gather information on this abomination, and create a weapon that can combat it and anything else that is thrown at it."  
"By myself?"  
"You may have as many Huragok and materials as you require; but in the field, you will be alone. 'Rithinee believes that this will make it easier for you to move around, and reduce any conflicting ideas you may have had if there were others with you."

It would not be an easy task, and by the way he talked, Commitment wanted something high-tech that was even more fearsome than such a human. But with the Huragok on his side, Saal was certain they could build just about anything. To be honest, he was excited. Just what kind of weapon could he make with unlimited Huragok and unlimited materials?

He couldn't wait to find out.

Fleet Master 'Rithinee stepped forward. "His Excellency understands that this will take time, and has given you a month for this project, which may be extended or reduced as the battle, and situation, develops. Do you understand, Officer 'Uklanee?"  
"Yes, fleet master!" Saal answered earnestly.  
"Then you are hereby dispatched to the valley that 'Sumee's base guards, to observe and gather information on this new threat. Since that is the only way out for the humans in that area, there is no doubt that they will strike."  
Commitment spoke up after him. "This is a mission given to you by the Minor Prophet of Commitment himself," the Prophet said, his voice laced with arrogance and pride, "let no one stop you in carrying this out; you have complete authority. That is all, you are dismissed."

"I will not fail, your Excellency." Saal bowed down once more and saluted the other Sangheili before leaving the room.

* * *

****Battalion Headquarters  
October 7th  
****

"I'm sorry."

Mikoto, Uiharu, and Saten were sitting on the ground in their room in front of Kuroko who looked very upset, just like she had looked last night before storming off for a couple of hours. The reason why she was upset is because of, well...

Mikoto glanced up at Kuroko, and giggled involuntarily, quickly bringing up both of her hands to cover her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes. At the sound of her muffled giggles, Saten couldn't help but do the same. Uiharu tried keeping herself composed, but she looked like she was going to burst out laughing at any moment.

Kuroko's foot came slamming down on the ground in front of them, shutting Mikoto and Saten up. "This. Isn't. Funny!" Kuroko yelled at them, her face red with fury. "I've been violated as a woman!" She cried, her hands grabbing at what remained of her hair. Her hair had been mysteriously cut when they had been out for their surgeries (it was required for them to have what the UNSC called a Neural Interface) and now it didn't even reach her shoulders.

It did look like a professional had done it, but it was just so... _not Kuroko_.

Uiharu couldn't take it anymore. "Hahahaha! Shirai-san!" She doubled over, finally bursting out in laughter and sending both Mikoto and Saten over the edge, ticking Kuroko off even more. The same thing had happened last night, but to a greater extent.

"Why was it only my hair that got cut!?" Kuroko questioned, looking at Saten's still perfectly-long hair jealously.  
Saten got her breath back enough to speak. "Maybe it's because of your helmet?"

They both looked over at the two ODST helmets lying on one of the beds, one Kuroko's and the other Mikoto's. "It covers your entire head and seals with your armor, right?" Saten then picked up her own helmet, a marine's helmet, and placed it on. "My hair can just come out under my helmet, see?" She spun around, her hair flying about around her, Kuroko's jealous eyes following it all the way.

"Hmph!" Kuroko grabbed her helmet and started walking out, leaving Mikoto and Uiharu laughing on the floor. Before she could reach the door, a familiar marine opened it and stepped in.

"Rise and shine, ladies!" Lieutenant Wayne was about to go on but then he saw that the four of them were already up and about. Uiharu and Saten quickly collected themselves and stood up, Mikoto being a little slower, not yet accustomed to life on the base.

Wayne grinned at them. "Grab your helmets and come down to the mess. It's time for breakfast."

* * *

Breakfast consisted of a pancake, a slice of bacon, and some scrambled egg with a cup of milk. But, apparently, the girls were on double rations so they got twice as much (it actually looked like a little too much to Mikoto). The ODSTs were getting an extra slice of bacon, though; and when she asked about them, the lieutenant told her that it was because they were fighting later today, and for some of them this would be their last breakfast.

It made her anxious since Kuroko would also be fighting with them.

Lieutenant Saionji had briefed the girls yesterday, telling them that Kuroko would be assisting the ODSTs today. His words that the Covenant didn't have any armor or air support didn't make Mikoto feel any better about it, but Kuroko had taken it just like... a soldier would, she presumed.

_...That's what we are now, isn't it? We're soldiers, taking orders from our superior officers... Being sent out on the battlefield to fight, to kill, and... sometimes to die. For what reason?_

_That's easy._

_People's lives are at stake, and it's the soldier's duty to protect them. Our duty..._

Mikoto was brought out of her thoughts when Saten nudged her shoulder, reminding her to follow the lieutenant and the two marines with him to a nearby table. As they headed there through the crowd of personnel getting their trays or sitting down, someone suddenly called out to her. "Hey, Railgun!" She turned her head and saw a marine grinning at her, holding up his cup. "That was a nice show last week! You really showed those aliens whose boss!"

Another marine shouted from across the room. "Rock on, girls!" After him several others called out, and she noticed one of them had bandages around his left wrist.

Mikoto started to get a little embarrassed from all of the attention and quickly sat down in between Kuroko and Saten, with Uiharu to Saten's left. **"You're a celebrity, Misaka."** Saten joked, grinning.  
**"Uh, yeah..."** Mikoto replied, blushing.

"Railgun." The lieutenant said, and Mikoto looked at him to find his hand stretched over the table towards her. "1st Lieutenant Wayne, commander of 2nd platoon, Bravo. Thanks for saving us back there; we owe you."

Mikoto took the hand. "Mikoto Misaka, Lieutenant Wayne. Nice to meet you."  
"Likewise." He grinned, and then the two marines sitting by him introduced themselves.  
"Sergeant Hocking, 2nd best sniper in the battalion." The man said, shaking her hand.  
The woman was next. "Sergeant Izumi, CQC expert."

Uiharu's voice alerted Mikoto to the four approaching army troopers. "Good morning, Major, Sergeant." Mikoto had met the sergeant and his men yesterday, but she had yet to meet the major that was training Uiharu. Taking a look, she saw that Major Tachibana stood the same height as Crater; her hair was pure-white, though she looked like she was just in her 30s, and her skin was rather pale. Her white hair was gathered up in a bun and her sleepy, emerald eyes glanced over Mikoto, studying her.

"Ohayou, Saten-san." Clark greeted Saten as they sat down.  
"Ohayou, Kurāku." Saten greeted him.

"Good morning, Uiharu..." Tachibana muttered, yawning. She did _not _look like a morning person.  
"Shouldn't you be eating at the officer's table?" Wayne asked her, though he had no right to talk.  
"They're all marines." She huffed, taking the syrup that Uiharu passed her.  
"I take offense to that."  
"I'm your superior off-" she yawned, hand over mouth, "-icer, remember?"  
"I have a bad memory, ma'am."

While they and the others started talking amongst themselves, Mikoto turned her attention onto her food, as did Kuroko. However, Uiharu started to ask the major something and Saten seemed busy with listening in on the conversations going on with the earpiece she'd gotten yesterday. However, with as much noise as there was, Mikoto wondered if she was understanding anything.

A little ways into the meal, Wayne looked up and waved at someone. "French, over here!" He called out, and Mikoto looked where he was waving to see a marine looking their way. What caught her attention about him was a silver cross hanging from his neck. Several other marines were calling out to him, but when his eyes landed on hers, he smiled and headed towards their table.

Once French walked up he received friendly greetings from just about everyone, and a few other marines who had yet to sit down filled their table when they saw he was sitting there.  
"Girls, this here is Brian French," Wayne told them, introducing the middle-aged man, "he's our battalion chaplain. If you ever need someone to talk to, he's your man."

"It's nice to meet you." French said, smiling at each of them. "It's... quite unusual for you kids to be fighting with us," as he said that, there was a sad look in his eyes, "so if there's anything I can do to help, just give me a call."

"Thank you." Mikoto and Uiharu said politely, Kuroko giving the man a nod.  
"Tanku... yuu." Saten said slowly, trying it out.

"French?" Wayne asked the man, and he received a nod in response. What happened then spread like a wildfire. The marines at the table who noticed French stand up stopped what they were doing and turned around, getting the attention of the marines and ODSTs at the tables around them, and they the attention around them and so forth. Within moments all noise stopped, and many of the men and women had their heads bowed or hands clasped together, either out of faith, respect, or just being polite.

Mikoto placed her fork down, suddenly feeling out of place and unsure of what to do. But Wayne gave her a nod and bowed his own head, and Mikoto followed suit, not knowing what else to do.

Then French's clear voice filled the room, as big as it was. "Brave warriors, should fate find us in battle, may our cause be just. May our leaders have clear vision. May our courage not falter. May we be triumphant and earn victory as we show mercy to our enemies.

"May our efforts bring lasting peace. May our sacrifice be always appreciated by those we serve. May we return to our beloved ones unharmed. Should we be harmed, may our wounds be healed. Should we perish in the struggle, may God embrace us and find for us a place in His kingdom.

"O Lord, bless this food we have here today, so that it may fill our stomachs and keep us strong for the people. Bless the meals of the hungry, of all those that are in hiding from our enemies, so that they may endure in this time of despair. Give strength to these young girls with us here today, unto who you have given to our care."

_He's talking about us? _Mikoto thought, her cheeks reddening.

"May you guide them and keep them in your loving embrace, O Lord. In Jesus' name, amen."  
"Amen." The crowd said together, and everything went back to normal. Conversations started back up, marines went back to their food, and those who had yet to get any moved along down the line.

"Christianity?" Uiharu asked.  
"Yes." French replied as he sat down.

"Is that this world's religion?" Mikoto asked next, taking a bite of her food. It was surprisingly good; nothing like she was expecting. _They must have a great chef_. On impulse she took a look towards the kitchen and her eyes landed on the biggest, tallest, broadest man she'd ever seen wearing a chef's hat making pancakes.

He looked _totally_ out of place in there, and she had to tear her eyes away from him to keep from staring.

_Is that guy... the chef!?_

"It's not, but a lot of us veterans here believe." Wayne answered her, bringing her back to reality. "The 77th has been in several different planetary battles over the last several years, and we've had the chance to see some pretty strange things, especially with French around."

"How many of you are veterans?" Mikoto asked, interested.

"After this invasion? All of us." Wayne leaned forward, the look in his eyes hardening, his voice losing his joking banter. "But if you're talking about the original 77th, there's less than eighty of us still alive in this battalion." He sighed, leaning back. "But we have veterans from several different units that were hit hard, and all together about two thirds of this battalion are veterans. The rest were green recruits fresh from training; like Saten, only smaller and with worse aim." He tried to joke, but it didn't even sound like _he _was amused by it.

"I see..." Mikoto muttered, and at the mention of Saten, she remembered French's earlier words and realized just how young they really are... and she wondered what the marines thought of them fighting.

She... had to know.

"Um, hey..." Her reluctant tone got the attention of the others around her, her friends and the marines waiting to hear what she had to say. "What do you think of us... fighting with you...?"

Everyone at their table stopped eating, even the marines at the far edges of the table who barely heard her.

"Onee-sama...?" Kuroko whispered, wondering why she was bringing this up.

Wayne glanced around at everyone before sighing, setting his fork down and leaning back as much as sitting on a bench would allow. "I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that we don't like it one bit." His voice was completely serious; there wasn't going to be any joking this time. "Captain's got to be crazy, and the lieutenant has got to be insane; even if you have the ability to take out an entire army, you're... what? Twelve? Thirteen?"

_Fourteen... _Mikoto thought, but she didn't say.

Wayne sighed again, looking down at his plate. "But... it also makes me realize just how desperate we are. We're always on the run, from one planet to the next... Each time being forced to leave people behind..." His hands tightened into fists, his eyes taking on an intense look. "But, with you girls here... maybe we won't have to run anymore. We'll finally be able to take the fight to the Covenant." He relaxed, letting out a deep breath. "Well, no matter what, you girls fighting with us... is probably better than waiting to die in a bunker."

A few marines nodded, agreeing with him. Others stayed silent, not because they didn't agree with him, but because they knew what he said to be the harsh truth.

"The captain will probably get court-martialed for this if we survive." A marine down the table said, perking the girls' attention.  
"Even in this situation the UNSC isn't crazy enough to sanction child soldiers." Another marine added in.  
"Not officially." Crater muttered.  
"Didn't you hear?" Tachibana suddenly spoke up, their attention focusing on her. "The admiral approved of this."

"Admiral Standingwater!?" Several of the marines exclaimed, including Wayne, and even her own men looked at her with shocked faces.

_Even the admiral was in on this...? _Kazari thought, surprised. Cole had told her a little about the admiral before and how some of his methods were unorthodox, but going this far... Just what kind of man is he?

"So he's going to take responsibility for them if we survive this?" Wayne concluded, and Tachibana shrugged her shoulders.  
"Remember he ordered the fleet to disperse when we were supposed to fight it out in space." She said, taking a drink of her milk. "That'd probably have gotten him anyways."  
Wayne shook his head. "This is why I'm perfectly fine as a lieutenant."  
Tachibana looked up towards the ceiling. "Those were the not as bad days..."

As the two officers got lost in their own little world, Mikoto went back to her food. _So that's what they think... _To be honest, she didn't know if there had been a point in asking them about it; but, at least now she knows how they feel.

* * *

After breakfast, Mikoto, Kuroko, and Saten had went with Crater and his men to continue their training (or begin, in Mikoto's case) while Uiharu had went with Tachibana. The sergeant led them to a more secluded area in the courtyard, and that's where they were joined by four other... teenagers?

The teenagers weren't marines or army; they were younger, closer to the girls' own age. Their armor didn't look as advanced as what the troopers wore, and the insignia was different as well. So, Mikoto figured they were members of the local militia.

_What are they doing here? _She wondered briefly before Crater started to explain.

"Listen up, girls," He said, facing them, "it was a bit of a last minute decision, but the lieutenant decided that our squad needed a few more members. These four kids are some of the best from the local militia, and they will be joining Strike Team Lightning." He glanced at the militia. "Gamma squad, introduce yourselves!"

One of the two boys stepped forward, his shoulder-length black hair swaying in the breeze. "Corporal Aoi Nishizumi, age 16! Marksman!" Aoi had a rather young face, and he looked more cute than handsome.

He stepped back and the girl who'd been shifting around nonstop on the balls of her feet leaped forward and snapped an energetic salute. "Private First Class Hana Tsuda, age 17! CQC specialist!" Her hair was the same color as Aoi, but she had it up in a short ponytail.

The second boy stepped forward, adjusting his glasses before raising his hand to salute. "Private Hiroshi Nakada, age 16. Sharpshooter." His brown hair was shorter than Aoi's, but it still covered his ears.

The next girl's salute was a lazy one. "Private Mii Yunokawa... age 15... spotter..." She yawned, stepping back. Mii's short hair was an almost white blonde, and it looked like she never combs it.

Crater then stepped forward, addressing the girls. "As you can tell, they are Japanese just like you. So, Saten, you shouldn't have any trouble communicating with them." Saten nodded, confirming that the device in her ear was working as expected. "Now then, introduce yourselves and fall in line with them."

* * *

Ruiko, whose long hair was up in a bun (courtesy of the major), was the first one to step forward, the girl holding her hand out to Nishizumi, a smile on her face. "Supreme Commander General Saten Ruiko. I look forward to working with you!" She was enthusiastic, and trying to pretend to be a serious, down-to-business soldier just isn't her.

Nishizumi took her hand, a smile on his face. "Nice to meet you, Saten. _I'm_ actually a Supreme Commander Field Marshall."  
Ruiko frowned. "That doesn't sound as cool as general."  
He returned her frown. "But it's a higher rank!"  
Ruiko just shrugged. "It doesn't matter if it doesn't sound cool."

Tsuda joined in, wrapping her arm around Ruiko's shoulders who gave her a nervous smile. "I'm actually a private." The girl whispered, nodding in self-satisfaction.  
"Why did you go lower!?" Nishizumi exclaimed.

Nakada walked over. "The sergeant is watching us; I suggest leaving this for another time." He turned around, about to retake his spot, but he had one more thing to say. "Lieutenant."  
"Not you too!"

Meanwhile, Yunokawa looked like she had fallen asleep.

Ruiko, suppressing her giggles, got in line to Nishizumi's left and watched as Misaka stepped forward, the brunette not too sure on how to act after that little display. "Um... I'm Misaka Mikoto, Level 5 Electromaster, 'Railgun'. Nice to meet you." She said, acting a little shy with everyone looking at her. There was no other commotion as the teenagers greeted her and she got in line next to Ruiko.

Shirai was next and she gave a curt bow to the group. "I'm Shirai Kuroko, Level 4 Teleporter. Please take good care of us." She said, speaking formally, before taking her spot next to Misaka, the redhead making sure to stand closer than necessary.

As Crater moved to stand in front of them, Ruiko noticed Clark and Malcolm joining them in the line. Before she could wonder about it, the sergeant started talking. "From this day onward, you kids are now officially part of the United Nations Space Command Marine Corps and you form the ten-person strike team 'Lightning' along with the three of us troopers."

They straightened up, Gamma squad realizing they'd just been dragged into the marines and the girls realizing it was finally happening; they're actually in the military!

"Listen closely to your designated squad number and position. First Squad: Lightning-1 will be me; Lightning-2, Mikoto Misaka; Lightning-3, Kuroko Shirai; Lightning-4, Hiroshi Nakada," Ruiko blinked. She didn't follow after Shirai? "Lightning-5, Mii Yunokawa. Second squad leader, Lightning-6, Ruiko Saten."

_..._

_Huh?_

Did she just hear him right? She's going to be a squad leader!? **"Uh... Sergeant Kurētā, sir?"** Ruiko asked, raising her hand. He met her eyes, and he seemed to give her the time to continue. **"H-how can I be a squad leader...? Shouldn't Marukomu, or Kurāku be leading?"**

"Are you questioning my decision, private?" Crater demanded, his voice stern and his eyes cold.  
**"Uh, uh..." **Ruiko lowered her hand, looking down at the ground. She was too afraid to look in his eyes; she couldn't even speak.

The sergeant quickly continued with the designations, like her question had just been a pointless distraction. "Lightning-7, Aoi Nishizumi; Lightning-8, Hana Tsuda; Lightning-9, Kina Malcolm; Lightning-10, Jeremiah Clark. If there are any questions regarding the squads' composition, raise your hand."

Ruiko looked back up at him and tried to raise her hand, but that look was still in his eyes and she couldn't bring herself to say anything more. Misaka, however, was braver... or just reckless. The brunette stepped forward, raising her hand. "Yeah, I have-" She began, but the sergeant cut her off.

"Good. Since there are no questions, we'll move on." Crater said, and it didn't look like Misaka took his interruption kindly as she narrowed her eyes at him. Just as she was about to say something, he set his eyes on her. "Misaka, you'll be coming with me to the firing range."

She blinked, momentarily forgetting her irritation. "The firing range?"

He didn't answer her; instead, he looked back to Ruiko who straightened up, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek under his gaze. "Saten, you're in charge while I'm away. Take the rest of the team to the track field for an endurance run until further notice."

_I'm... in charge? _Ruiko couldn't comprehend what was going on. Of course she was willing to join the marines and fight, but she never thought she'd be put in charge of anything! _For now... I just have to do what he says. _**"Yes sir." **She said before turning to the rest of her, _(her?)_, team. **"Everyone to the track field!" **She called out nervously, starting to lead the way.

"In formation!" Crater called after her.  
**"In formation!" **Ruiko repeated, her body going tense. _Wait... what formation? I don't know any formations!_

To her relief, Nishizumi called out a formation and the team formed two columns, the boy helping her out on where to lead them as they headed off, Shirai sparing a glance back at Misaka.

* * *

Mikoto watched her friends march off until Crater turned around and started heading off in the other direction, causing her to turn away and keep stride with him. With just the two of them there, she could ask all the questions she wanted, right? "Hey, why is Saten not in the same squad as us?"

"Think about it, Misaka," He spoke, not looking at her, "where will you be when we're fighting? You're the strongest one here, so you'll be in the most dangerous situations. Shirai will probably be teleporting all over the place, while Nakada and Yunokawa are snipers. Saten is better off with the others, at least on a squad-based level. We're still a team, so we'll be supporting each other, so you can still look out for her."

Mikoto looked down, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "I don't need to look out for her." She looked back up at Crater, a smile on her lips. "I know she can handle herself just fine." She declared, showing the faith she has in her friend.

The sergeant didn't smile, but he did glance down at her. "One less thing I've got to teach you."  
Then the smile dropped from her face. "Anyways, why the firing range? A pool would be better."  
He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're talking about your ability, right?"  
"Yeah. What else would I be talking about?" She asked, confused.

"You've already shown us you can shoot Wraiths, so now I'm going to show you how to shoot a magnum."  
Mikoto blinked. "A magnum?" _He means... one of those pistols everyone is carrying around?  
_"But first I've got to teach you how to take it apart, clean it, and put it back together." He carried on.

"Wait... What!?" She ran forward, spun around and came to a halt in front of him. "Why do I need to learn how to take apart a gun and shoot it!?" Crater stopped, looking down at her with a stern look in his eyes, but she wasn't finished yet. "I'm not going to be shooting at the Covenant with a gun! I'm going to be using my ability!"

"Are you questioning me, private?" He said, his eyes starting to get a little intimidating, but Mikoto wasn't going to back down.

"It's a waste of time!" She told him, crossing her arms. "Can you not teach me something useful instead? Like those hand signals you guys do, or just something that's a lot more useful than learning how to shoot a gun I'm never going to use!" Her voice was raised, almost to the point of yelling.

_Seriously, what is he thinking!?_

Crater didn't say anything; he simply just stood there, staring down into her eyes. Mikoto glared back, but the more she glared, the more intimidating he looked. She was starting to get a bad feeling about talking back to him...

A really... bad feeling.

* * *

Ruiko set her helmet done on a nearby crate as she looked out over the track field. She's been here a lot while Misaka was in her coma, but she'd never ran in full combat armor before. It made her dread doing it, but this is what they're probably going to be wearing all the time, so she has to get used to it...

Looking at the track field now reminded her of the special workshop she'd had to go to back in Academy City, where Yomikawa-sensei had ran her and the others ragged. But, because of that, she'd learned something new about overcoming your limits. Taking a look back at her teammates, she wondered if she could do the same for them... Although it isn't her own idea.

_Well, I can try, right? _She asked herself, smiling.

"Alright, guys, we're going to do an endurance run," Ruiko stated, facing them, "when you think you can't run anymore, raise your hand!" They looked confused, but Nishizumi went 'yes ma'am' and the others followed his example. "Stretch your body and let's start!" She ordered, leading the way.

After stretching, they went out on the track field, Ruiko in the lead with the rest of the team following her, but mostly everyone ran at a different pace. Shirai, on the other hand, steadily made her way past Ruiko. "Shirai, it's going to be harder if you run too fast!" She called after the redhead, who seemed to reluctantly listen to her and soon they were running alongside each other.

After a couple of laps of relative silence, Ruiko's breathing picked up, but she stayed in relatively good condition considering the circumstances. However, the silence was starting to annoy her, and she wanted to speak to Shirai. "Hey, Shirai," She began, getting her friend's attention, "be careful out there today."

Shirai smiled at her, and that smile helped to ease Ruiko's worries a little. "Do not worry, Saten, I won't allow them to lay a single hand on me." She wrapped her arms around herself, her smile getting really, really weird. "My body is only for Onee-sama~!"

A bead of sweat, not caused by the running, rolled down Ruiko's cheek. "Uh... Yeah." She nervously chuckled and looked forward. She didn't need to worry; Shirai will be fine.

* * *

A squad of marines were in the men's restroom, scrubbing it down since it was their turn for cleaning duty. The female sergeant was bossing the poor men around, constantly telling them how they should clean it. "Seriously, what's wrong with you wimps!? You've got to scrub it like this!" The sergeant yelled, grabbing a scrub out of a private's hand and starting to show them how it was done.

"Sergeant!" Someone called from the doorway and the woman turned around to see Crater standing there. "You and your men have been released from cleaning du-" Before he could even finish speaking, half of the squad was already running out of the door.

"Hey! He wasn't even finishing speaking, you mice!" She looked like she was about to chase off after them, but she took the time to wash her hands first before giving her regards to Crater and _then _chasing after them.

"Alright." The man clapped his hands together. "You can come in now." Very slowly, a timid Mikoto walked into the restroom, her face white. She'd just learned what happens when you talk back to your superiors, and she was seriously regretting it. "Here you go." He handed her a toothbrush.

"Uh...?" She looked at him, a scared look in her eyes. _Is he serious? Just one toothbrush!? _She fearfully looked around the room and saw some strange things on the wall. _What... are those? _She was starting to get grossed out; not only was she in a men's restroom, but she was going to have to clean it! _Why did I open my big mouth!?_

"You know what? You're just a kid, after all." Her eyes snapped back to Crater, his words making her hope he was going to change his mind. "Here you go." He handed her another toothbrush.

Her hopes were crushed. "W-wait, you can't-" The stern look in his eyes reminded her how she'd gotten in this situation and she instantly shut her mouth. "Y-yes... sir." Mikoto muttered, swallowing her pride and slowly looking around, wondering where she was even going to start.

"You better hurry. For as long as it takes you to clean this place up, your friends are going to be running until they collapse."

Mikoto's eyes snapped back to him and she realized he really meant it. So, without wasting anymore time, Mikoto, quite literally, jumped to work.

* * *

_N-no... more..._

Ruiko barely finished the lap before she collapsed onto her hands and knees, gasping for breath. She'd actually pushed herself to go two more laps after she was ready to give up, and she was starting to wonder if that last half of a lap had been way too much for her, but she'd managed it. Now, though, she's panting for air and sweat is covering her face and quite a bit of her uniform.

Thankfully, Shirai came up with a bottle of water which she happily took and started taking sips of. Ruiko had actually outlasted the redhead, which she took a bit of pride in since her friend had had Judgment training. _Maybe her ability makes her lazy when no one's looking? _She thought, imagining how lazily convenient Shirai's ability would be. _Well, I only beat her by one lap..._

By now the numbers had dwindled, and the only people still running were Malcolm, Clark (because she'd force him to keep going), and Tsuda. Although Yunokawa had raised her hand first (really, she'd just been trying to get out of it), Nakada had been the first victim, followed by Nishizumi, and then Yunokawa. After her, it was Shirai and Ruiko; and, by the looks of it, Clark would be joining them soon enough.

Ruiko and Shirai sat down by each other, drinking plenty of water as they watched Clark last another two laps before he stopped again. But, after a little bit of 'encouraging him', Ruiko successfully got him back on his feet and dashing the next lap which became his last lap when he came back only to fall down onto his face.

Then it was only Malcolm and Tsuda until after several more laps Malcolm couldn't take anymore and joined the others as they watched Tsuda just dash around the field singing songs that she'd just made up.

"Does Tsuda ever run out of energy, Nishizumi?" Ruiko asked Nishizumi, who was sitting close by.  
He looked at Tsuda and shook his head. "I really don't know."

"Haha... I see." She replied before deciding that she'd had enough of watching Tsuda run. Ruiko dropped down onto her back and gazed up into the blue sky. It looked a lot different than it had when they first arrived; a lot more peaceful...

_"Saten, come in, over." _Ruiko perked up at the noise, recognizing it as Crater's voice (the translator she had in her ear mimicked their voices, which was really cool in her opinion), and looked around. She spotted her helmet and figured it came from there just from what he'd said. She quickly grabbed it and talked back over the radio.

"This is Saten, sir."  
_"Take a short break from the track field and then run the obstacle course until further notice. Over and out."  
_Ruiko blinked. _There's an obstacle course?_

Thankfully, Nishizumi knew where to find it. So, after getting Tsuda to stop (which took a bit of trying) and taking a break, she had her helper show them the way.

And Ruiko just realized that this meant _more _running.

Maybe she shouldn't have pushed herself so hard...

* * *

"I think... my skin is peeling off." Mikoto muttered, rubbing her poor hands. Thankfully, she hadn't had to use the toothbrushes for _everything_, and Crater had actually helped her out a little... Just not on the toilets or...

Just thinking about it made her face turn green; but, if she actually threw up, she knew the sergeant would just make her clean that up as well. So, she did her best to refrain from it.

"Are you ready to learn how to use a magnum now, private?" The man asked, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed.  
Instantly, with no time to waste, Mikoto straightened up. "Yes sir!" She had no idea how learning to shoot a pistol would help her, but she wasn't about to ask again.  
Crater smiled at her. "Good."

He led her to the firing range after that, where there was a crate and a stool for Mikoto to sit at while she learned how to take apart and put back together a magnum. He laid a manual on a neighboring crate for her to look at while he showed her how it was done. After showing her once, he left the rest to her.

It was slow going since she constantly had to refer to the manual and figure out what was what and where it actually went. Eventually, she got it, only for Crater to check and reject it. Frowning, Mikoto went at it again. It was still slow, and when she got it finished for the second time, he rejected it again. As Mikoto tried again a third and fourth time, she was starting to remember where some stuff went and how it went. By the sixth time, she only had to look at the manual just to make sure that what she was doing was correct.

By the time she was finished, Mikoto was confident that she'd gotten it right and in a timely manner as well. Crater, however, barely gave it a look. "Try again." He told her, setting the magnum down in front of her. This seriously got on her nerves.

_I've already done it six times! Why do I have to keep doing this over and over!? _But, rather than voicing her opinion, Mikoto kept her mouth shut and grabbed the gun. In her irritation, she shoved the manual aside without even a look and started taking the magnum apart one piece after another. After doing it so many times in a row, she was positive about where everything went. So, without a single look at the manual, she quickly disassembled and reassembled it.

Crater checked it and finally gave his approval. "You did it without looking at the manual; it's about time."  
Mikoto stared at him. "What was the point, sir?"  
"Figure that out on your own." He stuck another thorn into her side. "Now then, we'll go through cleaning it before target practice."  
Her frown deepened. "Yes sir..."

* * *

After target practice, where her aim turned out to be on the same level as Kuroko's (which turned out to not be as good as Saten's), Mikoto was reunited with a very weary looking strike team. Everyone except that Tsuda girl was panting for breath and Mikoto could smell the sweat that was rolling down their heads.

"Marines," Sergeant Crater began, facing them, "we're going to be going over hand signals and formations here on out. Lunch is still a few hours away, so no break just yet for you kids."

_Now it's hand signals? _Mikoto thought, starting to wonder why she'd ever spoken back to him in the first place. She sighed and listened to the sergeant as he continued on with their training.

Meanwhile, Kuroko snuck a glance over at her Onee-sama, readying herself for what was to come later that day. _Onee-sama... I won't let anything happen to you. Today, I'm fighting in your place. _She set her eyes back on the sergeant, so she wouldn't get yelled at. _I'll make them pay for what they did to you._

Her hands were balled up into fists.

She was ready to take the fight to the Covenant.


	10. It's Time

****DISCLAIMER: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun or Halo.****

****A/N: **A shorter chapter than usual, but the next 1 or 2 chapters ought to make up for it as we go into Kuroko's first battle. That means... action! Teleporting, grenades, explosions!**

**I will be attempting to set up a monthly update schedule; but if needed, I'll allow myself one week of leeway as necessary if the chapter isn't ready yet.**

**Anyways, there are two Malcolms (it was not intended; I think I forgot about the first one). Army Lance Corporal Malcolm and Private First Class Malcolm. I apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.**

**Also, thanks to my Beta Reader BbK2442 for his much appreciated help.**

**...You thought I wasn't going to keep my promise, did you not? Well... it was close. Haha.**

* * *

A week and one day has gone by since Kazari first started training to become an officer. They hadn't been idle while Misaka-san was asleep; she, Saten-san, and Shirai-san couldn't have wasted any time, even if they weren't certain of what they wanted to do or what Misaka-san thought. If they were going to fight, they had to train as hard and as much as they could; if they ended up doing nothing, than that training was just something to get their minds off of worrying about their friend.

Kazari's training wasn't physical like the others; she didn't have to worry about building up her strength or endurance like Saten-san. She just needed her mind and her eyes. It shouldn't be hard; she was just going to be controlling a surveillance drone to keep tabs on the battles, report relevant information to Captain Prock (or directly to units on the field herself if it wasn't relevant enough to bother the captain with), and assist the other staff officers whenever and wherever needed.

However, she still had to read and look over a lot of material regarding the Covenant, tactics, and strategies, including Sun Tzu's Art of War. She had to memorize the basics of leading men into battle, maintaining discipline and morale, and so much more... It was a lot to take in, and at the same time she had to learn how to control the drones, tune into certain units' frequencies, and set waypoints on their HUDs. She was required to spot concentrations of enemy forces through the drone's feed, identify targets of value, and anticipate what the enemy was going to do next.

If even all of this was required of her, Kazari wondered just how much more everyone else had to do. The captain, the major, the lieutenants... It gave her a great deal of respect for them. She couldn't weigh them down; she had to keep up with them and pull her own weight! So, she trained hard, and she's learning as much as she can as fast as she can. It's not just her friends counting on her now; it's everyone.

"Uiharu," Kazari looked up as Major Tachibana walked over to her, "the captain wants a sweep of the Covenant's base before the ODSTs move out. Take Drone-4."

"Yes ma'am." She responded before turning her attention onto the task at hand. As the major kept an eye on her, Kazari took command of the surveillance drone, bringing it online and sending it into the sky. As the drone headed for the enemy base, she opened up another window and continued reading what she'd been going over earlier.

Kazari's eyes constantly shifted from the drone's feed and what she was reading, her attention equally divided between the two up until the drone started to near its destination. When that happened, she quickly maximized the drone's window and took the controls. "Covenant base coming into sight." She said, aware of the major behind her, as she increased the drone's altitude.

The City of Dustin (named after the captain of one of the colony ships that first came to Ballast) was situated in a highly isolated area, with steep rock walls four kilometers out from the city on three of its sides and a sea to its back. The only way into the city by land was a narrow valley that runs in-between the rock walls in the southeast, where a long highway connects Dustin to the next city over.

The Covenant, when they failed to take the city in the initial invasion, had set up a base to the right of the valley's entrance to cut the UNSC off from any reinforcements. The multiple shade turrets the base had, along with its close proximity to the highway, prevented the captain from calling in any air support from an island airfield two hours away from Dustin. So, the ODSTs, supported by Scorpion tanks, were tasked with taking out the base alongside Shirai-san.

The last surveillance sweep of the base yesterday had revealed that the Covenant were reinforcing their position, creating barricades and digging trenches around their base and the valley entrance. Fortunately, though they had barricaded the highway, it didn't appear that they were interested in blowing it up. As long as it didn't take much damage during the battle, the 77th would be able to quickly move on after clearing the highway.

However, as the drone got closer to the base, Kazari saw something that hadn't been there before when she'd observed the earlier surveillance. At the valley's entrance stood a large shield wall reaching from one side to the other, and it was easily thirty meters high. _They blocked the valley? _She wondered, centering the drone's view on the shield wall.

"Well, that's new." Tachibana softly commented, eyeing the wall.  
Kazari ignored her; instead, she looked around for the captain and called out to her. "Captain Prock, there's something you need to see."

Prock, who had been speaking with the operations officer, broke away after a moment and walked over at her usual brisk pace. "What is it, cadet?" She asked, her eyes turning towards the laptop's screen.  
"The Covenant set up a shield wall that's blocking the valley, ma'am. They cut off their only way to retreat." She told her, explaining the situation.

"Hmm..." The captain was rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I was afraid they'd fall back into the valley to secure their flanks during the battle, but with this we'll easily be able to surround and annihilate them. We don't have to beat around the bush; we'll attack from every side at once." She turned away, but not without one last word. "Good work, cadet." With that, she walked away, calling out for Cole to get her Saionji and the commander of the armor attachment.

"Bring the drone home, Uiharu." The major said from behind her.  
"Yes ma'am." Kazari responded, starting the drone on its way back. There was nothing else new aside from the wall.

As the girl started multitasking again, Tachibana looked at the clock. "It's almost time..." She whispered, a sad edge to her tone.

* * *

Ever since lunch was over with, Mikoto and the others had been putting the hand signals they just learned to use. For a while they had been doing standard drills in a corner of the base which had a lot of crates around that they could work with, but then Cole had proposed a 'game'. It was a kind of cat-and-mouse game, with the three troopers being the cats and the rest of them being the mice; except, instead of running from the cats, the mice had to sneak around and try to take down the cats.

The rules were as follows: One, the mice can't speak; Two, the girls can't use their powers. Three, it has to take two mice to hold a cat down to the ground for five seconds to 'down' a cat for three minutes. Four, if the cat grabs an arm or leg of a mouse and the mouse doesn't break free in three seconds, that mouse is out of the game. Five, the mice win by having all cats downed at the same time.

They were also split up into three different teams: Saten with Nishizumi, Kuroko with Nakada, and Mikoto was with Tsuda and Yunokawa. They each started out in a different corner of the 'battle zone', and a cat went for each separate team.

Crater was against it, but he got outvoted by seven to two (Yunokawa was too lazy to vote and Kuroko sided with the sergeant).

The game had been going on for about nine minutes, and currently Clark's and Crater's icons on Mikoto's HUD (Cole had temporarily modified the strike team's HUDs) were both red. She and Tsuda had taken Clark out really early on since Yunokawa distracted him by... just walking up to him and letting herself get caught. After getting him from behind, the two girls that were left went looking for their next victim but got chased by Crater instead and had to lose him. At that time it'd been just about three minutes, so... they did something pretty mean.

They went right back over to where Clark was still lying on the ground, and when he got up after his three minutes were up, they... pounced on him. After dealing with him (again), Mikoto and Tsuda went looking for Crater, only to glance around a corner and see Saten and Nishizumi sitting on top of him. After forming up with them, Malcolm's icon had started flashing, which meant she was getting taken down... until it stopped and both Kuroko's and Nakada's icons went red.

So now the girls and Nishizumi were hunting Malcolm, and they had a little over a minute to do it before Clark tried to get back up. Nishizumi was in the lead, Tsuda behind him, Mikoto next, and Saten was covering the rear. Nishizumi glanced out from the crate they were currently behind and motioned the group forward one by one to the next crate. As he followed after Saten, Tsuda glanced around the crate and hurriedly snapped her head back into cover.

She had found Malcolm.

The trooper was walking in the opposite direction, and Tsuda motioned for Nishizumi and Saten to flank around on the right side. For Mikoto, she motioned for the brunette to get ready to head to the next crate over on her mark. The girl glanced around the corner again and gave the 'go', and Mikoto quietly rushed over to the next crate.

Just as Tsuda followed, Malcolm looked behind her, causing the younger girl to stop in her tracks and give a sheepish wave. The trooper instantly gave chase, Tsuda turning towards the way they came and running. Mikoto stayed behind the crate and waited for Malcolm to run by before trying to take her by surprise. The woman saw her coming, side-stepped her lunge, grabbed her by the wrist, and managed to pin her down to the ground until Mikoto was out of the game.

By then, Tsuda had turned around and made a grab for Malcolm's arm just as Nishizumi and Saten rounded a corner and started to run over, but the trooper grabbed Tsuda by the wrist and it was clear that there was no way the girl was going to break free by herself.

Just as Malcolm thought she had everything under control, Tsuda, a hyper girl who's basically in a permanent sugar rush, reacted without thinking. "WABAAM!" She yelled, and her foot went straight up into Malcolm's chin.

* * *

**"I don't think this was in the rules."** Sergeant Crater muttered, standing above an unconscious Malcolm whom Clark was trying to wake up.  
**"War isn't fair."** Tsuda defended herself, a cat's grin on her face.  
**"It's a game!"** Nishizumi said, slapping her across the helmet.

Mikoto stood nearby, watching them with lowered eyes. When Malcolm had taken her down, it had hurt her pride, but it was her own fault. She had been counting too much on the trooper being distracted by Tsuda, she'd left too big of an opening for her to counterattack, and she just wasn't strong enough to do anything when Malcolm had pinned her down. Of course she couldn't have used her ability, but Mikoto felt like even without it she could have, and should have, taken her out.

_Maybe I rely too much on my ability... _Mikoto briefly thought, but her attention shifted back on Tsuda and the others when Crater hit her on top of her helmet when the girl kept trying to defend her actions. It was a little amusing to watch, actually, and she soon forgot about her hurt pride.

"Really, what do they think they're doing?" Kuroko, who was standing next to Mikoto, muttered.  
"It looks like they're having fun." Mikoto said as Malcolm finally woke up and made a grab for Tsuda who hid behind Nishizumi while Clark tried to hold the angry woman back.  
"Are we not in a war?" The redhead muttered again, her voice low.  
"Well, it's important to let loose every now and then, right?" Saten chimed in from behind them. "By the way, Shirai, how did Malcolm take out you and Nakada at the same time?"

Kuroko huffed, crossing her arms. "We almost pinned her down, but she broke free and grabbed both of our arms."  
"Speaking of that, what were you and Nishizumi doing sitting on top of the sergeant?" Mikoto asked Saten.  
The girl grinned big and wide. "We got up on the crates and jumped on him!"  
"Hahaha. Really?" The brunette giggled.

**"Shirai." **The three girls looked up at Kuroko's name and saw Crater standing in front of them, his helmet in his hands, and his expression serious. **"It's time. Report to 1st Lieutenant Suzuki of the 2nd ODSTs platoon, otherwise designated the 18th."**

**"Yes sir."** Kuroko said; and, instead of leaving right away, she turned towards Mikoto who own expression had become closely guarded. "Kuroko will be back soon, Onee-sama," the girl said, flaunting an arrogant smile, "so~" She leaned forward, closing her eyes and puckering her lips.

Mikoto's hand quickly covered Kuroko's mouth, the girl giving her friend a weird look. "What are you doing?"  
"Ghood lukk kiss." She said, her voice muffled.

The scene from when Mikoto first woke up after her coma suddenly popped into her mind, and the girl's face went beet red. "You already had your kiss!" She shouted, pushing Kuroko away, who pouted at her. "A-anyways..." She muttered, averting her eyes away from her, "be back in time for dinner..." The concern in her voice was unmistakable.  
Kuroko's face brightened up. "Yes!" She happily said; and, with a final look to Saten who gave her a confident smile, Kuroko took off.

"Uiharu's looking out for Shirai, so she'll be fine." Saten said before leaning in really close to Mikoto who took a step back in surprise. "So... what was that about a kiss?"  
"Uh..." Mikoto gulped. She hadn't wanted anyone to know about that, especially Saten! "Well..." She quickly looked at Crater. **"W-we should be getting back to training, r-right, sir?"**

The sergeant grinned at her. **"That reminds me... You missed out on it earlier, so how about another endurance run?"**

"Ee?" Ruiko weakly uttered.

_Another one!?_

* * *

Kuroko made her way into the courtyard of the compound where the ODSTs and other personnel were making final preparations to move out, and she began looking around for Lieutenant Suzuki. She spotted Lieutenant Wayne walking by, so she called out to him. "Lieutenant Wayne," She said, getting his attention, "are you familiar with a Lieutenant Suzuki, 18th platoon?"

"Suzuki...?" Wayne asked, sounding rather... surprised; however, after his initial reaction, he seemed to realize her intentions. "Oh, are you reporting to her?"  
"Yes, is something wrong?" Kuroko asked, confused by his strange response.  
"N-no, it's nothing," He said, starting to look towards the ODSTs, "anyways, she's-"  
"Right behind you." A soft voice whispered into his ear.

"Uwaaah!?" Wayne spun, taking a couple of quick steps back. "Re-..." He stopped himself and straightened up. "Suzuki..." He muttered, his voice low.

A woman in her early twenties stood in front of Wayne, her light-brown hair in a short bob-cut, her eyes matching the color of her hair, and there was a sweet smile on her face. She wore the armor of an ODST without the helmet, but the gentle look on her face looked nothing like what Kuroko thought a hardened shock trooper's face would look like. "Forgive me for startling you, Wayne, but I couldn't resist. Hehe." She giggled at the end, slightly covering her mouth with her index finger.

Kuroko stepped around to Wayne's side and, looking up at him, she noticed he was averting his eyes and there was a slight blush on his cheeks. _Does he...? _She wondered, but then remembered what she came here to do. Straightening up, she saluted the lieutenant. "Private Kuroko Shirai, Lightning-3, reporting for duty."

Suzuki returned her salute. "1st Lieutenant Rei Suzuki, 18th platoon. I look forward to working with you, Shirai-san. The briefing is about to start, will you join me?"  
"Yes ma'am..." Kuroko said, her voice a little low. She was surprised by Suzuki's friendly manner. _Is this person really an ODST?_

Suzuki then turned back to Wayne. "I'm sorry, but we must be going now." She turned around, motioning for Kuroko to follow. "This way, Shirai-san."

"Ah, wait," Wayne called out, and Suzuki looked back at him, "be careful out there..." He said, his voice low.  
She smiled. "Thank you."

They parted ways without any further words, Wayne watching them leave.

* * *

"The Covenant base is situated to the right of the valley entrance here, and the shield wall that covers the entrance of the valley prevents them from falling back." Captain Prock stood in front of the officers that were gathered for the briefing next to a projected map of the area. Kuroko was sitting by Suzuki and Uiharu, and both of the young girls were listening diligently.

"As you know from our first briefing, the Covenant scrapped a large part of their base to use in their barricades, and they've set the focus of their defense on the highway leading into the valley." The captain continued. "It is the center of their formation, and we believe it is due to the large amount of natural cover there. I repeat, their base is _not _the center of their defense, as strange as that sounds.

"Since we covered their defenses and weaponry in the last briefing, I will move on to the plan. Our original plan was to have half of our forces focus the attack on their base and force them to send reinforcements to that flank before having the other half of our force move up and blitz through their weakened left flank, using the Scorpions to quickly secure the entrance to the valley and keep them from falling back into it. From there we'd surrounded and annihilate them.

"However, since they've blocked the valley off, we can assume that they have no intention whatsoever of falling back. They're going to go down fighting, every last one of them. Our plan now is to attack them from all sides, overwhelm them, and take them out with our superior firepower.

"Private Shirai's involvement in this plan is the same as before. With Uiharu providing her bird-eye assistance, she'll go in ahead of the main force, take out their turret emplacements and snipers, and continue to wreck havoc on the enemy throughout the battle. If all goes according to plan, this battle should be over in time for dinner. Are there any questions?"

No one spoke up.

"Good." Captain Prock said out loud. "Remember, we take this valley, and we take the fight to the Covenant. That's all; dismissed." She turned away, the projector going dark and the lights coming on as the officers started to disperse.

As Kuroko followed Suzuki, Uiharu placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder to get her attention. The flower-haired girl smiled at her, and that smile reminded Kuroko of what she was fighting for. "I have your back, Shirai-san. Always." Uiharu told her, and Kuroko returned her smile.  
"I'm counting on you, Uiharu."

They went out into the hall and the two girls separated, each heading in a different direction, and neither looked back.

* * *

"Shirai-san," Suzuki said, grabbing her own helmet from another ODST before looking back at Kuroko, "you'll be going with Recon Force Bravo, but my squad and I will assist you if you find yourself in trouble." She continued, placing her helmet on. "Call on us at anytime."  
"Yes ma'am." Kuroko responded, placing her own helmet on.

Nearly instantly, Uiharu's voice came over her radio. _"Shirai-sa-... Shirai, can you hear me?"  
_"Oh, no honorific?" Kuroko answered her, a smirk on her face.  
_"I apologize, but unnecessary chatter is prohibited."  
_The smirk vanished. "I see."

_"When you reach the combat zone, I will mark the targets on your HUD. Take them out as quickly as possible. Also, remember, you need to k__eep moving; you can't let the enemy catch sight of you. Do you understand?"  
_"I understand."  
There was a short pause before the girl spoke again. _"And, one more thing... be careful, Shirai."_  
A soft smile spread across Kuroko's lips. "I will."

Uiharu went silent just as a couple of Warthogs pulled up in front of Kuroko and Suzuki. "Recon Force Bravo ready to move out, ma'am." The female marine manning the gun of the first hog, Sergeant Major Stacker, said, saluting the lieutenant.

Suzuki returned her salute and then turned back to Kuroko. "This is where we part ways, Shirai-san. I'll see you on the battlefield." The ODST gave her a nod and then hurried off.

Kuroko looked at the two Warthogs, one armed with a machine gun and the other a passenger version. The armed hog was full, with a sniper sitting in the passenger seat. The other hog's passenger seat was empty, with two other marines besides the driver sitting in the back along with a crate of what should be grenades, for her own use. "Climb on in, girl." Stacker said, motioning towards the second hog. "We're moving out."

"Yes ma'am." Kuroko answered and hurried to the hog, jumping into it and making herself comfortable in the large seat. Just as she got settled in, the driver held his hand out to her. "Private First Class Malcolm," After a moment of hesitation she shook his hand, "the man in the back is Tann and the woman is Amar." He said, tilting his head towards them. "We've got a crate of grenades, so whenever you run out, just drop back by here."

Amar picked something up by the crate and handed it to Kuroko. "Grenade belt, with some bullets in the far left and right pouches." She said, and her gift was followed by Tann's. "Grenade bandolier. This one's your choice; it'll weigh you down more, but you'll have to make less trips, right?" He asked.

"I'll take it, thank you." Kuroko said, taking both of them.  
"Put them on now; it'll be easier than holding onto them." Private Malcolm told her, and she complied, putting on both the belt and the bandolier while they were still stationary.

She barely had the time to make herself comfortable before Stacker received the order to move out. "Alright, men, it's time! Recon Force Bravo, move out!" Kuroko noticed the woman look back at their hog, and even though her eyes were obscured by her visor, the girl felt as if the sergeant was looking for something, or someone, that wasn't here anymore.

Before she could contemplate on it further, Stacker faced the front as the Warthogs started to move forward, heading out of the base and past army trucks and Scorpion tanks that were loaded with ODSTs. Kuroko looked at the sights they passed, and she looked up just in time to see two surveillance drones fly overheard, heading in the same direction that they were. She started to get nervous, and she wondered if she would really be alright.

She's going to be fighting in an actual war, killing other sentient beings and watching fellow human beings die around her. How many lives will she take? How many people will die? No... that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is getting her friends home safe and sound; and, if that meant carving a path through this 'Covenant', Kuroko would gladly do so. For Saten, For Uiharu... and for the girl she loves.

With that last thought, she watched as the Warthogs took the lead of the column heading out of the city.

It was finally time... for her first battle to begin.


End file.
